Another Secret Revealed
by Mediatorsk
Summary: When Phoebe’s powers are returned to her and she has a premonition, the older Halliwells discover that Paige is harbouring a traumatic secret that may have fatal consequences.
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, I am being very bold and posting my very first piece of Charmed fiction ever! I welcome your feedback and constructive criticism._ _I do not own Charmed, nor do I own any character you recognise. __This is an alternate universe fiction set around the same time line as Season 7. _

**Chapter 1**

It was Monday morning and Phoebe Halliwell had overslept. She ran down the stairs full throttle, and made a beeline for the kitchen, passing a startled Piper on the way. She cradled baby Chris in one arm and threw her free arm out in front of herself to stop the kitchen door from swinging into her face. "Good morning to you to too Phoebes! You're lucky I didn't blow you up you know!" Piper yelled, with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Oh sorry! Morning Piper, morning Paige, but I'm late for a meeting with Elise and she's going to…" Phoebe had brushed past Paige making contact with her elbow on her way to the coffee maker and stopped abruptly in mid sentence. She flinched, her eyes closed, her head arched upwards, and her body stiffened.

Paige and Piper knew exactly what was happening to their sister. Phoebe was having a premonition. Paige looked at Piper, who was still standing by the door. "Her powers are back." she remarked with surprise.

"Well that was shockingly quick!" Piper riposted, while rolling her eyes briefly heavenward in disbelief and then back at Phoebe. The sisters watched and waited for Phoebe to come out of her premonition. She stood frozen for roughly twenty seconds as the vision played out in her head and then something totally unexpected happened – she collapsed. Paige was standing behind her and caught her as she fell, easing her gently to the floor. Piper gasped and quickly put Chris in the baby carrier, which was conveniently sitting on the kitchen table. Then she ran to her fallen sister's side. She placed one hand on Phoebe's neck to check her pulse and used her other hand to brush a few stray hairs from her sister's clammy face. "Paige, get a cold cloth please." Paige quickly complied and returned with a damp cloth, placing it gently on Phoebe's forehead. "Come on Sweetie, wake up." Piper coaxed. She looked at Paige. Piper was starting to get a little panicky and was about to call for Leo when Phoebe began to come around. She moaned softly and her eyelids fluttered open.

"Paige…" Phoebe mumbled as both Piper and Paige helped her to sit up. Piper caught the cloth as it slid off of Phoebe's forehead and tossed it into the sink.

"I'm right here Honey. I'm not going anywhere." Paige responded.

"Come on Phoebes, let's get you up and over to the chair." Piper said.

The oldest and the youngest sisters guided their middle sister to the chair and she eased herself onto it. Piper stood beside Phoebe and placed her hand on her shoulder. "That must have been some premonition. Are you okay?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, just feeling a little woozy. Guess I'm just not used to getting visions anymore." Phoebe replied.

"Plus your premonitions do have that energy draining empathic edge to them." Paige remarked. She then squatted so that her eyes were level with Phoebe's, placing her hands gently on Phoebe's knees. "What did you see Sweetie? Did you see me? You said my name when you came to." Paige questioned.

Phoebe looked at both of her sisters before answering. "Uh… no, not at all." Phoebe lied. "It's just that you were the first person I saw when I opened my eyes." Paige looked up at her oldest sister sceptically and remained silent.

"Well, what did you see then?" Piper persisted gently.

"Oh, it was nothing really, just a vision of the past, something unimportant. It was probably just the Elders' way of letting me know that my powers have been returned to me, although I'm not entirely sure what I did to earn them back." Phoebe lied again. However, the last part of her sentence was the truth.

She thought back to when she and Paige were caught on tape and the Cleaners, who prevent magic from being exposed, covered up by making Darryl look like a murderer and sent him to death row. She and her sisters went before a special council of Elders and demons known as the Tribunal to try and save his life. Inspector Darryl Morris was a close friend of the Halliwell family who had put his job and his life on the line more times than Phoebe could count. The prosecutor, Barbas (the demon of fear), had manipulated the proceedings and it was the Charmed Ones themselves who ended up being put on trial for recklessly abusing their powers. The end result was that although they were able to save their friend, Phoebe had been stripped of her active powers - empathy, premonition, and levitation. As much as she disliked the Elders and hated Barbas, they were right. She had misused her powers, forcing premonitions for her own personal gain.

'Sweetie, since when did a vision of something that happened in the past ever make you pass out, because, hello, you've been there before?" Paige was not convinced.

Phoebe put her right hand on top on Paige's left hand, which was still resting on her knee. "Paige, um, don't you have a dentist appointment today? Just because I'm already late for my meeting doesn't mean you have to be late too. You should go."

Paige knew that Phoebe was avoiding her question but decided to let it go for now. "Ugh. Don't remind me. Are you sure you're okay?" Paige asked.

"I'm fine, or at least I will be until Elise gets her hands on me. Besides, Piper's here." Phoebe gave her younger sister a weak smile.

"Alright. I'm just an orb away if you need me. See you guys later." Paige glanced at Piper as she got up from her squatting position and reluctantly left the kitchen, grabbing her purse from the counter along the way. As she walked through the living room she paused in front of Wyatt, who was playing contentedly in his playpen. She seriously thought about turning around and marching right back into the kitchen. She shrugged it off though, deciding she would question Phoebe later, and ruffled her nephew's hair instead before exiting the Manor.

Piper and Phoebe waited silently until they heard the sound of the front door closing. Piper then grabbed another chair and moved to where Paige had been moments ago. She sat down, facing Phoebe. She touched her little sister's hand and noticed that Phoebe was still trembling slightly. "You DID see Paige, didn't you?" Piper asked.

Phoebe nodded. "I didn't know what to say in front of her. But it wasn't a premonition, it was a vision of the past – Paige's past. Watching her parents die in a flaming car crash wasn't the only terrible ordeal she's been through. I felt her pain. It was intense. Piper, I think there's another skeleton Paige hasn't let out of the closet yet."


	2. Chapter 2

_Oh my god, I publish one chapter and get _**6**_ reviews not to mention **75** hits! That is sooo amazing! Thank you to everyone who reviewed. In a show of appreciation, I'm posting **two** more chapters today._

_**Patrica L Bryan: **Hey there! Thanks for reading and reviewing so quickly. I'm glad you like the story. _

**Chapter 2**

Piper waited patiently for Phoebe to recount what she had seen in her vision.

Phoebe took a deep breath and began to talk. "I saw teenage Paige. She was in what looked like her room, and he was there, waiting for her in the darkness of her closet. She opened the closet door to put a jacket away and- " Phoebe was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. She put her hands to her head and sighed. "That will be Elise and I so can't deal with her right now."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her." Piper got up and grabbed the phone off the counter. "Hello? Oh hi Elise…no, this is her sister Piper and I was just about to call you. Phoebe asked me to tell you that she's really sorry but she has that bad stomach flu that's going around right now. She hasn't left the bathroom all morning and she-" Suddenly Piper flinched and held the phone as far away from her ear as her arm would extend. Elise was shouting so loudly even Phoebe could hear her clearly. Piper rolled her eyes and put the phone back to her ear when Elise's little outburst had ended. "Yes, I'll tell her. Bye."

The phone beeped as Piper pressed the disconnect button and she put it back down on the counter with a thump. "Elise said that she understands your need to go on a sabbatical for a while and she'll handle the meeting today, but technically you're still working this week so if you're not back at work by tomorrow, she's going to hire your new ghost writer permanently."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Phoebe replied.

Piper then got a mug out of the cupboard and filled it with coffee before returning to her younger sister. She sighed as she placed the mug on the table beside Phoebe. Then she lifted baby Chris, who had begun to fuss, out of the carrier and held him in her lap.

"Anyway," Phoebe swallowed hard and continued, "He lunged out at her and screamed, 'Boo!' with a fat grin on his face like some stupid sicko. He grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with his hand so she couldn't shout for help. He was really young, maybe a bit older than Paige, and bigger, stronger. Paige was terrified and I could feel everything she was feeling as if it were happening to me. It was horrible Piper! She tried to struggle out of his grasp, but he slapped her and then he threw her against the wall, making her face bleed. When she fell onto the floor he kicked her. I could feel the pain of every blow on my own skin. Then he threw himself on top of her, tearing at her clothing. He…uh…the vision ended there, but I think he…I can't say it Piper."

Phoebe shook her head in an effort to rid herself of the images still lingering there. Her heart was pounding and she struggled to calm herself. She held her coffee cup in her trembling hand and sipped the hot liquid slowly.

"Whoa. No wonder you collapsed. Just take a nice deep breath for me please." Piper brushed a few stray hairs away from her sister's forehead with her fingers in an effort to soothe her. "It's okay, honey, it's okay."

"No, it's not okay Piper. What are we going to do?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter** **3**

An irritated Paige squinted as she walked into the midday Sun. She was just leaving the dentists office and held a hand to her sore mouth. "I can't believe he did a root canal," Paige mumbled angrily to herself as she walked down the sidewalk towards her lime-green Volkswagen bug.

As she fished through her purse, searching for her keys, Paige stopped abruptly as she heard the tinny sound of trashcans clattering to the ground and a high pitched scream piercing the air. She whirled around and ran back in the direction she had just come from. She turned into an alley and froze in horror, not merely at what she saw, but at _whom _she saw. A man stood not twenty feet away from Paige, clutching a terrified woman by the throat. The woman's eyes bulged out of their sockets and she let out a blood – curdling scream as he applied his touch of death. His hand was glowing like the burning embers of a fire. Patches of facial skin turned red, then black as the woman's flesh burned away. He released his grip on the woman, now reduced to a smoking corpse, and she fell to the ground like a rag doll.

"Well, isn't this a cosy little reunion, Paige. I knew you'd come." A crossbow appeared in his hand. He aimed it at Paige and pulled the trigger.

Consumed by her own fear, Paige remained unmoving and speechless, as if caught in one of Piper's freezes. She gasped in pain as the arrow pierced her left lung and she collapsed onto the pavement, clutching her side. "Leo!" Her voice was little more than a whisper. She didn't have the strength to orb. And Leo was nowhere to be seen.

She couldn't breath and took sharp desperate breaths as the man of her nightmares walked towards her. He knelt down beside her, twisted the arrow in his hand and plunged it deeper into her wound, smiling as he savoured her cries of pain. He was about to remove the arrow completely when he heard shouting and footsteps approaching. "Damn it!" His face turned crimson with anger. He looked down into her frightened, pain filled eyes, relishing her tortured expression. "Don't worry, I'll keep in touch, not that you'll be around much longer, bitch!" He vanished in a flurry of dark orbs just seconds before two plain clothes officers who had also heard the commotion, reached the alley.

Both officers stopped in their tracks when they saw the barely conscious woman with an arrow embedded in her chest at their feet and the charred corpse at the far end of the alley. One of the officers knelt down beside Paige to assess her condition. "Can you hear me?" he asked.

Paige didn't respond. Instead, her body began to convulse as she went into shock.


	4. Chapter 4

_I was debating whether or not to post another chapter this week or wait until next week but I came to the conclusion that it was cruel to leave you hanging where I did, so I present to you this next installment. Also, I can assure you all that IWILL FINISH this story. _

_P.S. I love all the feedback I'm getting. Thank you all so much for your reviews! _

_P.P.S. By the way check out_ **Patrica L Bryan's**_ new story_ _**Reunion, **however, you may want to read **This Can't Be Happening**_ _and **Pamela Halliwell,Wiccan Outcast**first. Trust me, her fiction is good. Another story you might want to check out is _**June Bug's **_newfic **Higher Calling. **I think it's quite original._

_Anyway, on with my fic... _

**Chapter 4**

Sirens wailed. Paramedics burst though the emergency room doors and raced a gurney carrying an injured woman through the corridor. Doctors barked out orders and nurses hurriedly complied. A phone was ringing somewhere. A female voice was paging a 'Dr. Johnson' to neurology. The ER waiting room was crowded with an assortment of people of different ages with various types of injuries. Some people sat anxiously awaiting news of injured or sick loved ones. A mother attempted to comfort her crying child.

More paramedics rushed through the doors, and a frantic Piper and Phoebe followed behind them. The sisters headed straight for the reception desk. "Matthews - Paige Matthews! She's our sister. She was brought in here! Where is she? Is she okay?" Piper was almost hysterical. Phoebe wrapped an arm around her big sister in an effort to calm both Piper and herself.

The nurse looked emphatically at the women standing before her as she tapped away on her keyboard. "Miss Matthews is in the trauma room at the moment. Please have a seat and I'll see if I can't get the doctor to come out and have a word with you."

One trembling sister guided the other to two empty chairs in the waiting area and Phoebe clutched her sister's hand as they sat down. Phoebe glared at the ceiling as she battled the silent rage boiling within her. She wanted to scream, she wanted to utter every expletive she could think of. She wanted the Elders to know exactly what she thought of them, but she couldn't. She was in a public place and now was not the time to lose control. She sat instead with her head bowed, staring at her feet.

Piper gripped her sister's hand tightly. She knew what was going through Phoebe's head but remained silent as she fought with her own emotions. Here she was in a place that she and her sisters spent way too much time in, faced with the possibility that she might lose yet another sister. Also, the fact the Leo wasn't responding to her calls only added to her anxiety. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on keeping herself from having a full - blown panic attack.

Both sisters were so lost in their own thoughts they were oblivious to the arrival of Inspector Darryl Morris, but he had noticed them. He was reluctant to approach them and remained stationary at the reception desk, choosing to observe them from a distance instead. The memories of his near execution were still too fresh in his mind, yet for some reason he still felt compelled to check up on them. He wasn't even on this case, but because the officers who had found Paige were from his precinct, he had taken on the responsibility of contacting the next of kin. He knew them after all, and even if he was a little pissed at them, he did have compassion.

Morris turned his attention from the Halliwell sisters to a dark haired man standing beside the coffee machine and walked up to him. "Any news yet Harris?"

"No, but I'm on the case now." Harris replied, taking a sip of his coffee and grimacing. He had been one of the officers who discovered Paige lying injured in the alley and rode with her in the ambulance. "She's in really bad shape. I don't know if she'll make it. It's a shame. She's so young and beautiful. I'd like to nail the bastard who did this to her. Is that her family over there?" He asked, nodding his head towards Piper and Phoebe.

"Yes." Morris answered. "But believe me, you don't want to know them," he muttered under his breath as he turned to leave, ignoring Harris's look of incomprehension, choosing instead to take one last look at the two distraught sisters.

Harris shook his head as he watched Morris exit the building and turned his attention back to the sisters of the young woman who was now fighting for her life. Sooner or later he'd have to talk to them, but now was not the right time.

Piper and Phoebe snapped to attention as the nurse reappeared, accompanied by a doctor.

"Are you Miss Matthews' sisters?" the doctor inquired. She was a kindly looking black woman in her late forties. Her hair was cut very short, which suited her rounded facial features. She wore the regulation white lab coat and a stethoscope hung loosely around her neck.

"Uh, yes. I'm Piper Halliwell and this is my sister Phoebe. How is Paige? Can we see her?"

"My name is Dr. Phillips. I'm looking after your sister." She spoke calmly and smiled sympathetically at both Piper and Phoebe. "Miss Matthews was attacked in an alley and hit in the left side of her chest with a crossbow, causing her lung to collapse. She's in surgery now to have the damage repaired. The lung will be re-inflated and a chest drain inserted- "

"Did you say she was hit with an arrow?" Phoebe interrupted.

"Shh, let the doctor finish." Piper reprimanded gently.

"That's okay," Dr. Phillips continued. "Yes, that's correct. I'm afraid Miss Matthews' condition is critical but we're doing everything we can for her. She'll be in surgery for at least another hour. I'll come and get you then.

"Thank you, Dr. Phillips," Piper said.

Both Piper and Phoebe watched the doctor leave.

"Why don't you both go to cafeteria and have something to eat while you're waiting?" the nurse suggested. "It's just over that way and down the stairs." She pointed to her left. "My name is Nancy. I'll just be at my station if you need me."

"Thanks," Phoebe responded. The nurse nodded and walked back to the reception desk.

Phoebe watched her sister storm off to the ladies room and followed her. Piper threw the door open and went in, nearly walking into a woman coming out of the rest room.

Phoebe apologised to the woman for her agitated sister. "Piper, take it easy."

Piper ignored her younger sister and checked every stall to make sure they were alone. When she was confident that there was no one else in the room, she turned her attention back to Phoebe.

"You and I both know she's been hit by a darklighter's arrow and if we don't do something soon she's going to die! Leo! Leo, please, Paige needs you, she's hurt! Leo!" Piper raised her arms in despair when he failed to appear yet again. "I don't understand. Why isn't he coming?"

Phoebe threw her arms around her now teary eyed big sister to comfort her, while choking back tears of her own. "I don't know Sweetie, I don't know."


	5. Chapter 5

_I have got to stop leaving you hanging like this all the time. I'm so cruel... :p_

_Thank you all so much for reading and a big thank you in particular to my reviewers. Thanks to you all, this story has had a WHOPPING number of hits. Anyway, before the suspense kills you, here is the next chapter. _

**Patricia L Bryan and June Bug:** Keep writing, I need more!

**Sara Wolfe**: I've just read _And the Fourth Shall Save Them_. You've piqued my curiousity and I'm interested to see where this story is going.

_Anyway, on with the story before the suspense kills you..._

**Chapter 5**

Piper and Phoebe had decided to go back to the waiting area since neither one of them had an appetite anyway. Piper had a magazine in her hand while Phoebe leaned her head on her big sister's shoulder.

"You've been reading the same page for over an hour now," Phoebe remarked.

"Actually, I've be reading the same _line_ for the last hour. I can't concentrate." Piper threw the magazine back on the table in front of her and sighed heavily.

It was then that Harris, having returned from his search for better coffee in the cafeteria, decided to make himself known to the Halliwell sisters. He approached the two women cautiously.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to disturb you but I just wanted to have a word with you. My name is Inspector Aidan Harris. I'm the officer who found your sister in the alley and I've also been assigned to the case. I'm really sorry for everything that's happened. I hope Paige pulls through." He extended his hand and Piper stood to shake it.

"Thank you." It didn't surprise Piper that Darryl was not assigned to the case, as he had been distancing himself from the Halliwell sisters for quite some time now. "Morris told me about you over the phone. I understand that if you hadn't found her she wouldn't have made it this far." Piper added.

"I was just doing my job, Miss Halliwell." The young officer looked down at his shoes.

"Please call me Piper and this is my sister Phoebe. How did this happen? Did you see who did this to her?" the oldest Halliwell questioned.

Harris shook his head. "There was a body, a woman. I think Miss Matthews was trying to help her but got there too late."

Both Harris and the girls noticed Dr. Phillips approaching. That was his cue to leave, but before doing so, he handed Piper his card. "We'll talk later. If there's anything I can do for you, just give me a call."

Piper took the card from him. "Thanks."

Piper and Phoebe's attention was now focussed on Dr. Phillips. They both couldn't help but notice that the woman was wearing the expression of someone about to deliver very bad news. Piper swallowed and Phoebe held her breath as she reached down to grasp her sister's hand in her own.

"Your sister is out of surgery and in ICU," She paused momentarily and took a deep breath before continuing. "But, I'm afraid Miss Matthews' condition is still critical. We've done everything we can for her, but for some reason I cannot explain her body is systematically shutting down. If I can't figure out what's causing this, she only has a few hours at most. I am so sorry." She paused again to give the sisters time to process her devastating prognosis.

Piper and Phoebe exchanged glances. They both knew very well that it was darklighter poison that was slowly killing their sister. Phoebe had a horrible feeling of déja vu as she remembered when Piper had Oroya fever and the words of Dr. Williamson echoed in her mind: _"Either Piper pulls out of the coma on her own, or, I'm afraid your sister's not going to make it." _She covered her mouth with her hand. Piper remained silent, too numb to react.

"Come with me, I'll take you to her." Dr. Phillips led the girls down the corridor and stopped in front of a set of sliding doors with a sign beside them with big bold letters that read 'Intensive Care Unit'. "Now, I want you to be prepared for what you see in there before you go in. Your sister is not able to breathe on her own and is on life support. You're going to see a lot of equipment, tubes and drips running in and out of her body. As horrible as it looks, these things are keeping Paige alive. You're both welcome to stay as long as you like, given the circumstances. Are you ready?"

Piper and Phoebe exchanged glances with one another. "As ready as we'll ever be." Piper responded solemnly.

Dr. Phillips nodded, punched a code into the keypad and the doors whooshed open. A nurse walked up to them. "This is Tracey. She'll take you to your sister. I'll be back in a while. With that, Dr. Phillips left.

Tracey led the girls to their sister's room, and they froze in front of the clear glass window that gave them a full view of Paige. Nothing could have prepared Piper and Phoebe Halliwell for the sight before them.

**A/N: **_Oops! I kinda left you hanging again. What can I say, I just can't help myself..._


	6. Chapter 6

_Just to let you know, I've enabled anonymous reviews, so you can leave one even if you're not registered on FanFic and you can tell me what you think. I don't mind constructive criticism but please don't flame._

**Patricia L Bryan & Sara Wolfe:**_ Thanks for your supportwith reference to cliffhangers. Patricia, I know all too how much you LOVE leaving your readers hanging and Sara, I just re-read your last review and I'd be interested to know your thoughts on this chapter. I hope you're not disappointed by it._

**PaigeHalliwell& June Bug:**_Cruel and Evil, moi (bats eyelids)? Just deal with it and read on.:P Paige, I wonder what makes me think you're a Paige fan. Hmmm...just what could it be (puts index finger on chin and rolls eyes up at ceiling)?_

**FL Twin:**_Hmmm...just whereIS that humus of a Whitelighter..._

_Thankyouonce againto myreaders and ESPECIALLY to my reviewers. Your feedback is much appreciated._

_Okay, I think I've left you all waiting long enough, so on with the story (sorry about the shortness of this chapter, but they will get longer and more descriptive as the story progresses)_

**Chapter 6**

The sisters stood at the foot of Paige's bed, who was sandwiched between crisp white sheets. She lay motionless and unaware of her sisters' presence in the room. Both guard-rails were up around her, tubes and drips ran in and out of her body, as the doctor had warned. Wires that protruded from the neck of her equally white hospital gown (with the words _San Francisco Memorial _written all over it in small blue lettering) connected Paige to the medical equipment surrounding her. A cuff wrapped around her right arm just above the elbow inflated and then deflated automatically as it measured her blood pressure.

The room was quiet except for the incessant beeping of the heart monitor and the rise and fall of the respirator as it breathed for Paige through the tube in her mouth. At the same time these noises provided Piper and Phoebe with the reassurance that their baby sister was, although barely, _alive_.

Piper was the first to touch her. She moved to the side of the bed and reached over the rail to take Paige's limp left hand in her own. She held onto it gently, not wanting to knock out the needle embedded in her little sister's wrist. Piper couldn't help but notice that with her fever and even paler than normal skin, Paige had a complexion like a glazed porcelain doll – _a doll on the verge of shattering into a thousand pieces_, Piper thought solemnly.

"Paige, sweetie. I'm not going to tell you to squeeze my hand because I know you can't at the moment, but I am hoping that maybe you can hear me. Phoebe and I are here with you. I don't know where Leo is right now, but I promise we WILL find a way to make you better, so you hang in there, okay? You know you keep this family together, sweetie. I don't know where we'd be without you." Piper fought back her tears, but one solitary teardrop managed to escape. She wiped it away with her free hand and continued. "Uh, I know I've never really told you this before, because I haven't found it easy to say these words since Prue-" She couldn't bring herself to say the word '_died.' _"- but Paige, I DO love you. That's why you have to get better, so I can tell you when you wake up."

Phoebe had not moved from her spot at the foot of her sister's bed, nor had she spoken a word since she and Piper had entered the room. She was too consumed with her own guilt and helplessness, too busy fighting her own inner demons, to get any closer to Paige.

When Piper grew silent, Phoebe lost her own battle and exploded with fury, staring upward as she shouted, " I don't understand! What good is it giving me my powers back if you weren't going to let me stop THIS from happening!" She motioned with both arms towards her dormant sister. "Why the HELL did you give me a DAMN vision of Paige's past if you're just planning to let her die anyway! How DARE you do this to us again! Are you a bunch of SADISTS up there? Do you ENJOY seeing us SUFFER? How DARE you!" Phoebe had completely lost it. She had never been so angry in her life.

Piper rushed, unnoticed, to Phoebe's side and wrapped her arms tightly around her trembling sister. "Shh…shh. You'll draw attention to us. Shh. I know exactly how you feel, believe me."

Phoebe tried to resist her big sister's embrace at first, but then accepted it, and hugged her back. She went limp now in Piper's arms, her rage expelled for the moment, and let her tears fall freely. Piper held Phoebe and let her cry, knowing that her sister needed the release. "I wondered when you were going to let go. You've been fuming since we first got here."

After a couple of minutes, Piper broke the hug but left both of her hands firmly planted on Phoebe's shoulders. She stared straight into her distressed sister's eyes. "Listen to me. This is NOT your fault. DO NOT blame yourself, okay? Look, maybe Wyatt can heal Paige or we can write a spell, or-"

Phoebe was so pre-occupied with letting go of her pain and Piper was so busy trying to take it away, that neither one of them noticed the orbs appearing off to the side of the room.

"…I can help you."

_**A/N: **Oops! Did I mention I have cliffhangeritis? _


	7. Chapter 7

_Thanks to **ALL **of you who have reviewed. I'm really enjoying reading your feedback and I've noticed they're getting lengthier. That's a good sign that I'm doing something right. At the risk of sounding greedy, I know that there are far more people reading than reviewing so it would be very cool to hear from more of you. As I mentioned before, anonymous reviewing is welcome and it's nice to see that some readers have taken advantage of this._

_**Patricia L Bryans and Paige Halliwell:** Thanks for noticing myanalogyof 'the porcelain doll about to shatter.'Rose McGowan has always reminded of a porcelain doll. She just has that kind of complexion. And thanks for appreciating the descriptiveness of my writing._

**_Sara Wolfe:_**_Howvery observant of you for noticing the role reversals. I like to be different and I think manipulating the characters the way I do makesthe story more interesting. You'll be seeing more of this as the story unfolds. I'd also like to say that you are an incredibly perceptive reader. _

**_Paige25_**: _I was REALLY flatteredby your comments about mystory being one of the best in these last years ofPaige centered fan fics. It's kind of a funny thing that I'm writing about Paige when in reality it's Piper I relate to the most._

**_chuyfa:_** _I'm glad you think I'm cool. Thanks!_

_Anyway, you're probably eager to get on with the story, so here it is. Enjoy!_

**CHAPTER 7**

"Oh!" Phoebe and Piper exclaimed simultaneously and they both jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of the figure standing before them.

"Sam? Hi! You're not the Whitelighter I was expecting but you'll do. Heal Paige. Now. Hurry!" Piper ordered, pointing a slightly curved thumb and index finger towards the bed.

"That's what I'm here for. You think I'd stand back and watch my daughter die when I've only just recently found her again?"

Just as he was about to move to Paige's bedside, Phoebe suddenly positioned herself in front of him. "Wait a second! Uh, I really want you to heal Paige, but won't Dr. Phillips get suspicious? I mean, we don't want another Dr. Williamson scenario."

"Don't remind me," Piper moaned.

Sam nodded in understanding. "The Elders told me about that. That's why I will only be able to neutralise the poison in her system. I won't be able to heal her actual injury."

Phoebe stepped out of the Whitelighter's way and went to keep watch by the window instead. Once he was standing at his daughter's side, he held a glowing hand over her upper torso and applied his healing touch. When he was finished, he rested his large hand on top of her slender fingers and bent over to kiss her forehead. "She probably won't wake up for a little while yet and she'll be very sore when she does, but she'll be okay. She'll need your support though, more than she'll be willing to admit if she's anything like me."

Piper and Phoebe both sighed with relief. Phoebe looked up at the ceiling with narrowed eyes. "Don't think that I'm not still pissed off with you people!"

Piper wasn't feeling all that happy with _them _at the moment either. "Thank you, Sam. Not that we're not grateful for what you've done, because we are, but why isn't Leo here? Why wouldn't he answer when I called him? " she questioned.

Sam stepped away from his daughter and out of sight of the viewing window. He rubbed thoughtfully at the stubble on his chin and gazed sympathetically at Piper. He knew she was going to ask that question and he dreaded having to answer it.

Phoebe had now moved to her quiescent sister's bedside. She held Paige's hand, stroked her hair gently and remained silent.

Piper was focussed on Sam, holding her breath in anticipation of his response, her hands balling into tight fists as every muscle in her body tensed. She saw the troubled expression on the discomfited Whitelighter's face and knew that whatever he was about to say wasn't going to be good. "Well?" she pressed.

Realising he could no longer delay the inevitable, he began to speak. "Piper, there's no way to break this to you gently, so I'm just going to come out and say it. The Council revoked Leo's Elder status as a consequence of his killing Gideon and they clipped his wings." Sam paused momentarily, seeing that Piper had been jolted by this revelation.

"Wh- What?" Piper was reduced to stuttering. "Wh- Where is he now?"

Sam shook his head, knowing that the worst was yet to come for Piper and he spoke softly. "He was out of control with his anger, his grief. He attacked another Elder out of rage as well as a Whitelighter who tried to stop him. They erased his memory and sent him away. They said that if the two of you were truly meant to be together he'd find his way back to you. I'm so sorry Piper."

Piper was in a complete state of stupefaction. Her eyes were glazed over withanguish and she threw a hand to her a mouth in an effort to stop all sound from coming out. After everything she and Leo had been through since they had first met she couldn't believe the Elders would have the audacity to tear them apart yet again, rendering her sons fatherless in the process. They had just found each other again, consummated their love and brought another beautiful child into the world. How much more pain would they have to endure to prove it was their destiny to be together?

Suddenly, Sam heard that all too familiar jingling sound in his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Uh… I have to go now. I'll make sure that the doctor and any other medical staff in contact with Paige won't remember anything about poison in her system. I'm so sorry I can't do more. I'll be back soon." With that, Sam orbed out and was gone as quickly as he had appeared.

Phoebe approached her older sister quickly, with the intention of providing her big sister her with support, but was caught completely off guard when Piper pushed her away.

"Don't, Phoebe!" Piper threw her hands up in the air. "Just stay with Paige. I'm going to Dad's place to get my sons and then I'm going back to the manor. I just want to be alone right now."

Phoebe could only watch in bewilderment as Piper stormed out of the room.

_**A/N:** You are really going to like Chapter 8, which I will post sometime during the coming week. _


	8. Chapter 8

_Firstly, let me start off by thanking all of my readers and particularly my reviewers. I'm afraid I don't have the energy to write any personalised comments today as I have only had four hours sleep ( I just couldn't sleep due to issues weighing heavily on my mind at the moment, not to mention I had an early start this morning ) and I've been living on caffeine all day.However I did say I would postagain this week and I won't have time for the rest of thisweek to post. I do like to keep my word. Anyway,please know that I value each and every one of you and I love to read your comments. _

_Secondly, the lyrics in this chapter are from a Winnie the Pooh children's song. I believe it was called **Wherever you are. **I was actually looking for a different song, but this one fit the story better. _

_And finally,_ **WARNING:**_ sensitive readers may require Kleenex. ENJOY!_

**Chapter 8**

Shadows danced across the dimly lit room, illuminated only by a small fluorescent light above Paige's bed and Phoebe sat alone at her still unconscious sister's bedside. Although she had held Paige's hand before, she was reluctant to now, not in the mood to play Russian Roulette with her powers. She was unsure she'd be able to handle a premonition in her current fragile state. She focussed instead on watching Paige's chest rise and fall rhythmically as the ventilator breathed for her, finding it soothing.

Nurses had come and gone throughout the day and well into the night, changing drips, taking readings and administering meds. Dr. Phillips had been back in as well to check up on her patient and was pleased to see a slight improvement in her condition. Even though it was after visiting hours and Phoebe looked exhausted, Dr. Phillips didn't push her into leaving. She could clearly see that this was where Phoebe needed to be, and as it wasn't doing Paige any harm, here was where Dr. Phillips had left her.

It was two in the morning but as tired as Phoebe was, she knew that sleep would not come. Her mind was full of thoughts and still reeling from the day's events. Getting her powers back would have been enough to deal with, never mind Paige nearly dying and Piper's abrupt departure. She leaned her elbows on the side of the bed, rubbing her temples with both hands and closed her eyes. The anger she had felt earlier had subsided, only to be replaced with disbelief and sorrow, emotions she knew her big sister had to be feeling at this very moment as well. Phoebe knew exactly what Piper was going through, not knowing if she would ever see her soul mate again. At least Phoebe had had closure. For one fleeting moment she found herself wishing that Cole would shimmer in, wrap his arms around her, plant a tender kiss on her lips and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but he could never come back. Cole was in the past, vanquished for good, although deep down Phoebe would never stop loving him. A part of her would be with him always.

Distracted by her own thoughts, Phoebe failed to notice as her elbow slid across the bed sheet, barely touching Paige's little finger, but that was all it took to throw Phoebe into her second premonition in under twenty four hours. She saw and felt what had happened to her youngest sister in the alley as if she herself were standing there. She felt Paige's horror as she recognised the darklighter standing in front of her, her helplessness and guilt as she watched the innocent die and the pain of the arrow hitting her chest. Phoebe clutched her side and lost complete control of her breathing, feeling Paige's panic, followed by sheer agony as the darklighter tortured her. Phoebe found herself involuntarily emulating her sister's state of shock.

It was at precisely this moment that the night nurse had entered the room, only to see Phoebe, unable to bring herself out of her vision, slump against the edge of the bed and slide to the floor, her body convulsing. "Miss Halliwell!" The nurse pressed a buzzer and there was a sudden flurry of activity as two more nurses, and an intern entered the room. A still fitting Phoebe was gently lifted onto a gurney and rushed away.

* * *

The grieving Wicca sat in a rocking chair in her bedroom cradling her youngest son in her arms. The room was dark, she hadn't bothered to switch on any lights. She rocked back and forth, as much for her own comfort as for her baby, too numb too even cry. She hummed a child's lullaby instead from Winnie the Pooh, something her own mother sang to her when she was a little girl.

_Come out moon  
Come out wishing star  
Come out, come out  
Wherever you are_

Ironically, the light of the full moon shone through her open window and a gentle breeze caressed her cheek, as if to console her.

_I'm out here in the dark  
All alone and wide awake  
Come and find me  
I'm empty and I'm cold  
And my heart's about to break  
Come and find me  
I need you to come here and find me  
'Cos without you I'm totally lost  
I've hung a wish on every star  
It hasn't done much good so far  
I can only dream of you  
_

_Wherever you are  
_

Piper remembered that her mother seemed particularly sad when she sang this song and now she began to realise why. She continued to sing softly, her voice beginning to crack. Baby Chris was awake and gurgled, reaching up with his tiny hand, as if he were attempting to take away all of his mother's pain.

_I'll hear you laugh  
I'll see you smile  
I'll be with you  
Just for a while  
But when the morning comes  
And the sun begins to rise  
I will lose you  
Because it's just a dream  
When I open up my eyes  
I will lose you  
_

She paused for a moment , struggling to remember the rest of the words, struggling with her emotions.

_I used to believe in forever  
But forever's too good to be true  
_

Piper could no longer sing, her emotions overcoming her. She let her tears fall freely down her cheeks and they came in torrents. She didn't bother to wipe them away, whispering the remaining words to the lullaby instead.

_I've hung a wish on every star  
It hasn't done much good so far  
I don't know what else to do  
Except to try to dream of you  
And wonder if you are dreaming too  
_

_Wherever you are_

Piper held her baby close, slowly rocking, back and forth, back and forth. She allowed herself this release until there were no more tears left to cry. Leo's voice echoed in her mind as she remembered the day Leo had proposed to her. _You know, we're meant to be together, Piper. You know that. You went to the future, and you saw that we were married in it. That means that somehow they didn't stop us. Somehow we found a way to be together. _Would they ever be together again?

Piper was ripped from her thoughts as the phone rang and her heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly placed baby Chris in his crib by her bed and picked up the cordless on the nightstand. "Hello!" She rushed. It was the hospital calling and Piper's face paled visibly as she listened to the voice on the other end of the line. "What? I'll be there as soon as I can." She pressed the disconnect button and dialled her father's number. She would need him to look after the boys while she went back to the hospital. Her thoughts turned to Phoebe and she felt guilty for leaving her alone. If anything happened to her she'd never forgive herself. With an inner strength she didn't know she had, she pulled herself together. Both of her sisters needed her now.

After her father had arrived at the manor, Piper stepped into her jeep and paused a moment before putting the key in the ignition, gazing once more at the full moon. She remembered her own bitter words after Leo had been taken away from her the first time and Prue had tried to console her. _I don't understand. Why are they doing this to us? It's like destroying lives is how they amuse themselves. _

As the world of the Charmed Ones slowly crumbled around them, somewhere in the depths of Hell beside a bubbling Seer's cauldron, a Darklighter smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

****

Chapter 9

Phoebe lay curled on her right side between crisp white hospital sheets wearing the same type of hospital gown as Paige and she was receiving oxygen through her nose to help her breathe. Like her youngest sister, she too had a blood pressure cuff wrapped around her left arm and there were wires running out of her gown from her chest that connected her to a heart monitor positioned beside the bed. Piper sat next to the bed and watched Phoebe as she slept. She brushed her hand through Phoebe's thick brown hair and gently stroked her cheek with her index finger. "Oh sweetie I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have stormed away and left you alone."

Piper sighed heavily and turned briefly to gaze at the morning sunshine streaming in through the window from a cloudless sky, which did nothing to cheer her up. She felt like Mother Nature was mocking her instead.

A soft moan broke the silence and Piper turned her attention back to her sister, who appeared to be waking up. Piper relaxed and smiled for the first time in the in twenty - four hours. There was movement behind Phoebe's closed eyelids as she struggled to open them. She blinked several times and slowly revealed her brown eyes to her big sister. Phoebe was momentarily disoriented. She looked at the medical equipment she was attached to and down at the gown she was wearing before registering that she was lying in a hospital bed.

"What happened?" Phoebe asked softly, as she turned herself so that she was lying flat on her back. She suddenly answered the question herself as the fog clouding her brain lifted and the memories came flooding back. "Oh god! I had a vision of what happened to Paige in the alley. I felt it. She recognised the darklighter and she froze. I think it was the same guy who attacked her as a teenager in my first vision. I couldn't come out of it. I tried and I was stuck!" Phoebe had become visibly distressed, and the monitor at her bedside, picking up on her accelerating heart rate, beeped more urgently.

"Shh…you're okay Phoebe, just calm down. Breathe for me sweetie. I don't want to see your blood pressure shoot through the roof again. That's what put you here in the first place. Piper relaxed as Phoebe's breathing grew steady and the monitor beeped normally again.

As if on cue, a nurse walked into the room carrying a syringe. "Good morning Miss Halliwell. How are you feeling this morning?" The nurse was almost too cheery for Piper.

"Okay. Tired." Phoebe responded.

"I'm just going to give you something to keep you calm."

Phoebe looked alarmed. She hated needles as much as Piper did, if not more. "Uh, I don't need any injections, thank you, but I could do with a glass of water. I'm really thirsty." As the nurse approached her with the syringe, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly in anticipation of the sting that was to follow. When nothing happened, she opened an eye.

"It's okay, I've injected it into your drip. It's completely painless," the nurse chirped.

"Oh." Phoebe opened her other eye and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Piper had occupied herself by pouring her sister a glass of water from the pitcher that was sitting on the table by the wall.

"You rest Miss Halliwell and I'll see if I can get you some breakfast."

"Wait!" Phoebe cried. "When can I get out of here? I need to see Paige."

Piper answered for the nurse, who, seeing she was no longer needed, left the room quietly. "You'll go when the doctor says you can. Paige isn't exactly going anywhere at the moment." She smiled lightly, ruffling her sister's hair gently as she handed her the glass of water. Phoebe accepted it gratefully.

Phoebe was not deceived by Piper's smile. She saw the lugubrious expression in her big sister's eyes and knew that on the inside, she was suffering insurmountable pain. Her eyes, normally so vibrant were now a dull brown, with a mesh of vessels crossing the sclera, making it difficult to distinguish the whites from the dark. She could see that Piper hadn't slept all night and had cried instead. "Are you okay?"

Piper wasn't good at lying and she knew she'd never get away with saying she was fine. "Not really. But there isn't time for me to have a meltdown right now. You need me, the boys need me and Paige needs the both of us." She sat on the edge of the bed and held Phoebe's hand between her palms. "I shouldn't have left you on your own yesterday. I wasn't mad at you. I hope you know that."

"I know that, and I don't hold it against you. I have to admit your behaviour shocked me a little. You've never pushed me away before, but I know you're hurting and you needed time to deal. Piper, I know more than anyone what you're going through. At least you didn't have to vanquish your own husband. Leo's alive and he's out there somewhere. You were both lost before and you found each other again. You two have a bond no one can break, not even the Elders. You will always find each other." Phoebe gazed into her sister's sad brown eyes and saw a dam that was about to break.

Piper was hit with a fresh wave of grief. She let go of Phoebe's hand so that she could place a hand over her own chest. She could feel her heart throbbing with pain as it responded to the sound of his name. Her eyebrows furrowed and her voice cracked as she said his name herself. "But now Leo doesn't know who he is anymore. He doesn't remember that he's married and is the father of two sons! God knows where he is and he can't hear me call him anymore. I don't see how he can come back this time. I just don't." The dam broke and the floodwaters burst through.

Phoebe leaned forward and wrapped her arms tightly around her big sister. Piper gratefully accepted the hug and wrapped her own arms around Phoebe, burying her tear stained face in her younger sister's shoulder. Phoebe remained silent, knowing her sister needed comfort, not words. She listened to Piper's stifled moans of grief and held her even tighter.

They stayed that way for several minutes until Piper heard the younger Halliwell yawn and she broke the embrace, wiping furiously at her tears with both hands. She paused for a moment to study her sister's features and noticed that Phoebe looked much paler than before. Piper stood up abruptly and backed away from the bed, throwing a hand to her lips. "Oh Phoebe, I'm so sorry! You can feel what I'm feeling, can't you?"

Phoebe nodded slowly in response. "The empath-blocking potion that Leo gave you and Paige probably wore off when my powers were taken away. Do we still have any of that stuff left?"

Piper shook her head. "We're not going to be able make any either because I can't exactly pick up kotochu eggs at the supermarket, or any magic shop for that I know of for that matter, considering how extremely rare they are.

Phoebe sighed. "We'll, I'll have to come up with a spell or something or I'll end up driving the two of you crazy again." She tried unsuccessfully to stifle another yawn and laid back on her pillow, feeling the relaxant she had been given earlier beginning to kick in.

Piper had picked up on the signs of Phoebe's fatigue as well. "I should go and check on Paige and then I need to go back to the Manor and make sure the boys are okay. Dad's probably run out of bottled milk for Chris by now. You relax. I'll be back later."

She turned to leave but was still close enough to the bed for Phoebe to lean forward and grab her by the wrist. "Piper, it may take time, but Leo WILL come back to you. This is NOT the end, okay? And Piper, when you get home, please try to get some sleep. You're exhausted. Phoebe let go of her big sister and watched as Piper lingered momentarily. "I love you," she added.

"I love you too Phoebes." Piper forced a smile, and walked towards the door.

Phoebe watched as the door closed behind her sister and sighed heavily, leaning back on her pillow once again. She took in a shaky breath. She was completely drained now. The emotions she had picked up from her older sister were intense, much like what she had experienced when they had vanquished Cole in the penthouse - sorrow, grief, anger, resentment, all rolled into one. But there was one emotion that overpowered the others. Piper was overwhelmed with _guilt_. Why was this emotion so strong? Phoebe's eyelids drooped as she pondered this thought and she soon fell into a light slumber.

* * *

He stood in the shadows and watched her as she slept, listening to the raspy sound of the ventilator as it provided Paige with oxygen and the hissing sound it made as it sucked out used air from her lungs. When he was sure no one was watching from outside he approached her. When he was beside her, he touched her cheek with his finger and sang softly, but slightly off key.

_Wouldn't you agree, baby you and me_

_Got a groovy kind of love…_

"Hello love. I said I'd drop by again. I do have a job to finish off. It's a pity you're not awake though. I'd take you first, but in the state you're in, you'd never even notice, and where's the fun in that?" He grinned as he placed his hand on hers and her fingers twitched slightly at his touch. He hummed again as he lifted her head and removed a pillow, letting her head fall back on the bed. He switched the ventilator off, placed the pillow on top of her face and slid a hand underneath to disconnect the breathing tube. He worked quickly now, knowing an alarm would sound at any second. He pressed down firmly on the pillow with both hands. His weakness, though, was that he always threw caution to the wind and this occasion was no different. He was so obsessed with killing Paige that he failed to notice Piper enter the room.

"Son of a…!" She screamed, and threw her arms in the air, just as he turned to face her, dropping the pillow on the floor. Her aim was a little off and she only managed to blow up the darklighter's left arm, but that was all that was needed to deter him. He roared in agony, clutching the bloody stump and orbed out. Piper looked at the mess left behind from the explosion and used one of Paige's spells to clean up the mess, reciting the words rapidly. "_Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause the seen to be unseen._"

Alarms shattered the silence as the heart monitor flat - lined, nurses and interns rushed into the room followed by a crash team. Piper stood amidst the chaos, mouth open in shock, caught in a never -ending nightmare.


	10. Chapter 10

**Patrica L Bryans:**_ Regarding your review, I thought those were pretty powerful words myself. Glad you're enjoying the story and the deal with the er, darklighter will be revealed in due course. Thanks for the PM by way. Sorry I haven't replied yet but I've been extra, extra, extra busy._

**Punk Rock Miko2:** _What you said in your review makes perfect sense. Cliffhangers drive you mad because they leave you 'hanging,' but they're so great because you can't wait for the next part._

**'chuffy-barmed-oc':** _If I really suck you wouldn't be reading this fic, would you? Huh, huh, huh? _**:P**

**WitchandSlayer:** _Good to get a review from you again!_

_Thanks to ALL reviewers. I love to hear from you. Your comments are important to me. _

**Chapter 10**

Paige sat on a piece of driftwood and listened to the gentle sound of the waves washing ashore and she watched as the waters receded. The sky above her was blue and the sun shone brightly above her, causing her to squint. Her feet were bare and she drew pictures in the sand with her toes. A Cormorant diving for fish in the distance caught her attention. It disappeared beneath the surface of the blue-green water leaving a small whirlpool in its wake. Moments later it shot out of the water, flipping a small fish in the air before catching it again and swallowing it whole. She looked on as the bird repeated the process.

Paige didn't know quite where she was or why, but it was obviously where she wanted to be at this moment in time. For as long as she could remember, she had always retreated to the Ocean when she was upset or needed time to think. It soothed her to be near the Sea and it was certainly better than being trapped in an alley with her worst nightmare. Her fingers twitched involuntarily, as if something unpleasant had touched her, and she looked down at her hand. She felt a strong desire to stay here in this place, where she was safe, where she couldn't be followed. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the memory of him.

"Hello, Sweetheart!" Paige's eyes shot open and she turned to see her adoptive father walking along the beach towards her, with a smile on his face.

"Dad!" She jumped up and ran towards him, arms outstretched. When their paths met, they wrapped their arms around each other. She buried her face in his chest and took in the musky scent of his cologne. She used to wrinkle her nose at the smell when her father was alive, but now it was the most beautiful fragrance in the world to her. She hugged him tighter, not ever wanting to let go again.

"I've missed you so much Daddy." His heart melted and he kissed his precious daughter on her forehead. He hadn't heard her call him 'Daddy' since she was a little girl.

Paige stepped back to look up at her father but kept her arms around his waist, afraid that he might disappear if she let go. "Am I…"

"Not yet, honey, but you have been badly hurt."

Paige could hear frantic voices in the distance and a long flat beeping sound, but she tried to block it out.

"Dad, I don't want to go back there. I can't face him again. I want to stay with you." Tears formed in the young wicca's eyes.

"Oh sweetheart. I had no idea what happened to you back then. If only I had known…but I know now, and I'm so sorry sweetheart." He wiped away her tears with his thumbs and brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear. "Paige, honey, you have to go back. You have to face this, it isn't your time yet. I have to be honest with you and say that you will have some hard times ahead of you, but you're strong, you'll get through this."

Paige frowned. "No. No, I can't."

He lifted her chin with his finger so that he could look in her eyes. "You can. You didn't know who you were when you lived with us, but now you do, and you're so much stronger than him Paige. You know you can beat him. Besides, you have two sisters who love you very much and who are lost without you. Phoebe is struggling with her powers and Piper is dealing with a crisis of her own. You need each other to be whole again."

Paige heard a faint but familiar voice calling to her, and turned towards the sound. It was Piper. She knew her father was right. She looked back at him and nodded slowly, hugging him tightly once again. "I love you, Dad."

He smiled. "I love you too sweetheart and I always will. You have so many wonderful experiences to live through yet."

"Daddy?" When Paige opened her eyes, she realised he had vanished and she was hugging thin air. The scent of his cologne lingered and she breathed in deeply. More tears fell, and she was terrified, but she knew she had to face her fears. She took one last look around her sanctuary and was gone.

* * *

A voice echoed through Piper's mind, but she couldn't seem to process the words. She had backed up against the wall, eyes bulging in shock at the scene before her. Piper's vision blurred as doctors, nurses and interns fought to save her sister's life. Her senses were overloaded and she was no longer able to register what was happening around her. It was more than she could take. This couldn't be happening again. She couldn't lose another sister.

She felt someone shaking her gently, and the voice penetrated her thoughts once again, bringing her back to reality. "Piper? Can you hear me?" As her vision began to clear, she recognised the face of Dr. Phillips.

One word came out of Piper's mouth. "Paige-"

"-is fine, honey. It was a close call, but we brought her back. Look."

Piper looked over and saw that not only was Paige alive, but her eyes were open and the ventilator had been replaced with an oxygen mask. Piper covered her mouth with her hand in surprise.

"We had to give her a strong dose of morphine for the pain, so she's not very lucid at the moment. She'll be fitted with a pump tomorrow so that she can self medicate." Dr. Phillips guided the trembling woman to her sister's bedside.

Paige was awake enough to recognise her sister and reached out clumsily with her hand. "Piper." Her voice was barely audible beneath the mask.

Piper reached over the railing and took Paige's hand in hers. She laughed and wept tears of joy.

Paige looked into her sister's tired eyes. "Love you," she whispered.

"Love you too, sweetie." Piper responded, squeezing Paige's hand at the same time. She watched as her sister finally succumbed to the effects of the morphine and closed her eyes. "Sleep well."


	11. Chapter 11

_A bigfat THANK YOU to all my readers and to my reviewers in particular. I love to read what you think about what I write. _

_**Sara Wolfe and Patrica L Bryans:** I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I just had to include Paige's adoptive father in somewhere and allowing Paige to see him in that space between life and death seemed like the perfect way to do it. _

_**WitchandSlayer:** Glad you're loving the story. I'm enjoying writing it and suspense keeps the readers coming back!_

_**'chuffy-barmed-oc':** Finally, I've managed to make you happy and get you to admit that I don't suck:P_

_**itsbitsyshelly:** I won't lie, Paige has some trying times ahead of her, and her sisters too._

_I'm sorry I don't respond to every reviewer, but I do appreciate the reviews from each and every one of you. _

_The lyrics at the end of this chapter are from a classic **Carole King **song called **So Far Away**, which can be found on her **Tapestry** album. _

**Chapter 11**

Inspector Aidan Harris stood quietly in the doorway of the hospital room and watched both sisters as they slept. Unable to fight off her own exhaustion, Piper had nodded off while sitting in the chair next to Paige.

Although Piper's spell had made the magical mess left behind by the darklighter disappear, it couldn't cover up the fact that the ventilator had been disconnected and that someone had very nearly asphyxiated her injured sister. Harris had arrived a couple of hours ago and he knew he would have to question the oldest Halliwell sister, but he didn't have the heart to wake her. He busied himself instead by arranging for an officer to be posted outside Paige's hospital room and then questioning Dr. Phillips, who had been completely baffled as to how her patient could have been attacked in such a heavily staffed intensive care unit without being seen by anyone.

When he was finished speaking to the doctor, Harris had gone to the hospital cafeteria to have some coffee and had returned to the ICU when he had finished. He put it off as long as he could but he would have to wake Piper now to question her as well. Still, he hesitated for a few moments, focussing his attention on the injured sister. He walked cautiously through the doorway and approached the bed to get a closer look at her. Even in her current vulnerable state, everything about her was beautiful and perfect: her long brown hair, the shape of her face, the fullness of her lips, the dimple in her chin and the curves of her body beneath the sheets. How anyone would want to harm such a lovely woman was beyond him. Harris shook his head and suppressed his feelings deep within himself. Now was not the time or place to let them take control. He was a professional and he had a job to do.

He turned to the other sleeping sister now. "Miss Halliwell?" When she failed to respond, he reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. "Miss Halliwell?"

Piper jerked awake, startled by his touch. "Inspector Harris.What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you, but I need to talk to you about what happened here today. "How are you holding up?" Harris asked.

"I think it's pretty obvious how I'm holding up by the way I look," Piper mumbled. "How long was I asleep?" She knew the Police would want to question her and she was afraid of this, because she didn't know how she could explain what had happened. She couldn't exactly tell the inspector that a darklighter attacked and she blew it up. She decided to tell truth minus the supernatural part.

Feeling awkward, Harris cleared his throat. "For about an hour. How is Miss Matthews?"

"She was awake earlier and she's off the ventilator, as you can see, but she's in a lot of pain so she's been heavily sedated. What is it you want to ask me?" Piper was in a hurry for Harris to get to straight to the point so she could get this over with.

"Can you tell me exactly what you saw when you entered the room?" Harris asked.

Piper took a deep breath before responding. "I saw that Paige's breathing tube had been disconnected and she wasn't breathing. I heard the monitor flat - lining and alarms going and then the room was suddenly crammed full of medical personnel. Everything was a bit of a blur after that."

"So you didn't see who attacked you sister?" Harris continued.

"No," Piper answered simply, shaking her head.

Looking around him, Harris decided impulsively that a direct approach was the best way to handle this situation. There was no sense beating around the bush. "Miss Halliwell, I know that you saw who attacked your sister and that the attacker was a darklighter. You-"

Piper cut him off. She stood abruptly, causing the chair to skid backward, which bumped into the nightstand, knocking over a glass of water and spilling its contents. She took a defensive stance between her sister and the inspector, nostrils flaring, arms at the ready to release her explosive power. "Who are you?" She demanded.

Harris took a step towards her. "Don't you come any closer or I'll blow you to pieces."

He stopped immediately. He had seen how good she was at doing just that and he didn't want to experience it first hand. He put his hands up and spoke calmly. "It's okay. I don't want to hurt you or your sisters. I know what you are because I'm a witch too." Harris paused for a moment, allowing Piper to absorb the information. Seeing the look of scepticism and distrust in her eyes, he continued. "I have the power of transmogrification. I can-"

"-change shape or form, I know what it means," Piper finished. She lowered her arms but continued to stand her ground between her sister and the Inspector, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I can prove it to you." He turned to glance out the window into the hallway, making sure no one was watching or passing by. Then looking back at Piper, he morphed into a bedpan, which made a clattering sound as it hit the floor. Piper snickered as the bedpan morphed back into Harris, who smirked back at the young woman. "Seemed like an appropriate object to change into, considering we're in a hospital. Besides, I got you to smile there, didn't I?" Harris studied Piper's facial expression and could see a trace of incredulity in her eyes. It was understandable, considering what the Inspector had just revealed to her.

Piper decided there was no sense trying to deny what she was so she asked a question instead. "How did you know?" Then she added, "And what's going to happen to my sisters and me?" She was still wary and definitely worried.

"It's okay Miss Halliwell. I'm not going to tell anyone who you really are. I have my own secret to keep. Besides, everyone at the precinct would think I was out of my mind anyway. When I saw the charred corpse in the alley and the arrow embedded in your sister's chest, I knew she'd been attacked by a darklighter. You confirmed my suspicions when you blew up his arm earlier. I was looking for you and I saw you through the window. You're lucky no one else did. Since there are three of you, I put two and two together. Every witch knows about the Charmed Ones."

"So do most demons and warlocks." Piper riposted.

"Miss Halliwell, I can't shimmer like a demon and I can't blink like a warlock. I really mean you no harm. I've been a police officer for six years now. Morris can confirm that. I've dedicated my life to helping innocents, like you do."

Piper relaxed a little. The Inspector did save Paige's life and he made sure she got to the hospital. If he had wanted to hurt any of them he would have done so by now, given their current vulnerable state. She raised her lower lip over the upper one, blowing a few stray hairs from her face and sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just that after everything that's happened…" Her voice trailed off and she looked down at her shoes.

"It's understandable after what you've been through, Miss Halliwell." Harris stood with his hands in his pockets.

"Please, call us by our first names." Being addressed by her last name made Piper feel old and she knew her sisters felt the same.

"Um, Piper, we're finished here for now. You look exhausted. Why don't you go home for a while?"

Piper did need to get back to her sons, but she was reluctant to leave Paige. She turned to look at her sister. "I don't know."

"I've arranged to have an officer posted outside of Paige's room and I'll stay here until he arrives. You hurt that darklighter pretty badly. I doubt he'll be returning any time soon. Go, she'll be fine." Harris urged.

"Thanks. If Paige wakes up, tell her I'll be back as soon as I can, and please don't tell her what happened to Phoebe. I don't want her to worry."

"Of course. See you later."

"Bye," Piper responded, as she left the room. She quickly checked in on Phoebe on her way out, who was sleeping as soundly as her younger sister. Then she made her way out of the hospital and to her jeep. Piper switched on the radio as she drove out of the parking lot and listened quietly to the news. After that, one song after the other filled the air. She wasn't really paying attention at first, concentrating instead on the traffic and staying awake, but then the words of a classic love song filtered through her brain and suddenly hit her like a slap in the face.

…_It would be so fine to see your face at my door_

_Doesn't help to know you're just time away_

_Long ago I reached for you and there you stood_

_Holding you again could only do me good_

_Oh how I wish I could._

_But you're so far away_

…_If only I could work this life out my way_

_I'd rather spend it being close to you._

_But you're so-_

With a violent jerk of her thumb and index finger she switched the radio off and then clutched at the steering wheel with both hands, nails digging into it, as anger and sorrow boiled within her.

She didn't need to be reminded of her loss and she drove the rest of the way to 1329 Prescott Street in silence.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Victor Bennett knelt in front of his middle daughter, who had crashed on the couch after her youngest son's feeding. He had covered her with a blanket, which he now pulled up to her chin. He looked at her with concern. Her face was pale and even in slumber it was etched with pain and there was nothing he could do to relieve it except to be there for her when she needed him. She was heartbroken and he knew what that felt like.

Upon her arrival at the manor, Victor had listened quietly as Piper had recounted the morning's events at the hospital. He was glad to hear that Phoebe was okay, but he fidgeted with discomfort when his daughter had begun to talk about the darklighter attack on Paige. Although he was relieved to hear that Paige had suffered no further harm, any discussion of anything magical made him feel inferior and although he managed to bury it within himself most of the time, it enraged him. It was the supernatural that had taken his wife and his oldest daughter away from him forever. Victor hadn't meant to abandon his children when they were little, but he couldn't see the point in remaining in a situation he had no control over. He knew he had been fighting a losing battle. Patti and Penny had told him repeatedly that his daughters had such a great destiny to fulfil. To him it was more like a great _burden _with a short life span.

On the other hand, it was magic that had brought them all together again. He had saved Prue from the _Nothing_ inside the child-demon catching ice - cream truck and through his mortality, he had protected his other daughters as well. In the end though, he could do nothing to prevent the death of his eldest daughter. Knowing his daughters were doing good things, he had always stepped back when it came to supernatural matters, out of respect for them. Still, knowing what magic had taken from all of them, he resented it. He was glad Paige had come into the lives of his two remaining daughters to strengthen their bond and he feared they would be lost without her. He hoped that she would pull through. He couldn't help but think she was so much like Prue in many ways. She was full of determination, fierce independence and that strong sense of responsibility that had been such a big part of Prue. And then there was that stubborn streak that all the Halliwell women seemed to carry in their genes. That thought made Victor smirk. With Paige around, Piper at least had a chance of getting over her loss and moving on with her life. Being the realist that he was, he was doubtful Leo would come back this time.

Victor stood up and looked over at his grandsons, Chris was asleep in his carrier and Wyatt was playing quietly on the rug. Maybe he wasn't magical, but he did hae the power to take the boys out for a while to give Piper some space. He took a note that he had written earlier out of his pocket and placed it on the table beside Piper. He didn't want her to be alarmed if she woke up while he was out and couldn't find the boys. Then he scooped up both of his grandsons and got them ready to go to out. He looked at Wyatt. "Want go to the park with your old Granddad and let your Mommy sleep, huh? Wyatt giggled lightly in reply.

* * *

Paige's world was blurred and she blinked several times in an effort to achieve clarity. She smacked her parched lips together and licked them with her tongue to moisten them. She exhaled heavily and swallowed at the same time. She blinked again a few times and her vision cleared enough for her to see that she was lying in a hospital bed and she realised she was alone in the room. She decided this was not such a bad thing, as she needed time to think. Her memory was fuzzy and she licked her lips again as she struggled to remember what had happened. She moaned softly and a solitary tear trickled down her face, not from the physical pain that she was beginning to feel in her chest, but from the memories that came flooding back. She remembered being attacked in the alley by a darklighter she had recognised, and experiencing the loss of an innocent. She also recalled seeing her adoptive father again in that space between life and death.

It was in this state that Phoebe found her sister as she entered the room. She had insisted on seeing Paige and her doctor knew that he had no chance of stopping her, so he had agreed on two conditions. Firstly, Phoebe had to spend another night in the hospital under observation. He seemed to feel confident that she was okay now and he had put her collapse down to stress, but he had still wanted to keep an eye on her until the remainder of her test results had come in. Secondly, she had to let Dr. Phillips speak to her first to explain the situation with Paige. She had told Phoebe as gently as she could that someone had attacked Paige in her room and that she had had a close brush with death, but they were able to bring her back. Then she told Phoebe that Paige had woken up and was breathing on her own.

Paige moaned again as Phoebe approached her bedside cautiously. She reached out to take her younger sister's hand in her own, but retracted and rested it on the metal railing instead. "Shh, it's okay." Phoebe spoke gently.

Paige turned her head in the direction of the familiar voice and opened her eyes to study the face before her. "Phoebe." Her voice was muffled under the oxygen mask. She blinked several times, but as it took too much energy to keep her eyes open, she shut them again. She tried to send a message from her brain to her hand and it moved awkwardly towards the mask in an attempt to lift it off.

Phoebe instinctively reached out to stop Paige from touching it and held her breath when her fingers came into contact with her sister's hand, expecting to be thrown into another vision. She sighed inwardly with relief when nothing happened. "Don't. You need that honey, it's helping you breathe."

Paige whimpered and her eyes were now wet with tears. Phoebe ran her hands through her sister's hair in an attempt to calm her. "What's got you so upset?"

"Darklighter…nightmare…"

"We're not going to let him hurt you again, sweetie, I promise."

"You…don't understand," Paige cried softly, shaking her head from side to side. She tensed, feeling the pain in her chest increasing as the morphine lost its potency. "Hurts…"

"Shh. I'll call the nurse she'll give you more painkillers." Phoebe pressed the call button at the side of the bed and turned her head toward the door. It looked like she was watching out for the nurse, but she was really hiding the strain that showed in her face as she intercepted Paige's profound feelings of fear, despair and pain. They were stifling and Phoebe trembled as they flooded through her in a torrent, intertwining with her own emotions. She shut her eyes tightly and clenched her fist in front of her.

Paige shook her head again. "No…Leo can heal…need to get out of here. Can't stay."

Phoebe's eyes shot open at the sound of her distraught sister's voice. She took a deep breath before turning to face Paige again, her fist still clenched behind her back. She ran her free hand soothingly over her sister's forehead. "Just try to stay calm. You're safe here. No one is going to hurt you, Sweetie. Leo can't heal you because we don't know where he is, but thank goodness Sam came and he was able to counteract the poison in your system, but he wasn't allowed to heal you completely."

"Sam?" Paige questioned.

Just then the nurse walked into the room. "Well, hello Miss Matthews, it's good to see you awake. What can I do for you?"

"Paige needs something for the pain." Phoebe answered.

"Of course, I'll be right back." The nurse left the room and came back moments later with a syringe, which she injected into Paige's IV drip. "There. That should help. Just let me know if you need anything else." With that, the nurse left the room.

Paige fidgeted slightly in an effort to situate herself more comfortably and grimaced with pain.

"Shh… just close your eyes and try to get some sleep honey." Phoebe soothed.

"Sam?" Paige persisted.

Phoebe smiled at her little sister. "That's right. He saved your life. Again."

As if on cue, Sam appeared, not in the usual swirl of white light, but in a more conventional manner. He walked through the door instead.

Phoebe looked over at him with a raised brow. "You use doors now?"

"Well, if I had orbed I wouldn't exactly be able to explain how I got in here without being seen by the guard posted outside the door."

Phoebe nodded in understanding. "You have a point there."

Paige was aware of her biological father's presence in the room and wanted to speak, but she struggled to get the words out of her mouth as she fought to keep her eyes open. A soft moan escaped her lips instead. She could see the blur of his hand as it moved towards her and felt the soft warmth of his fingers as he touched her cheek. She lost her battle to stay awake and by the time he ran his fingers through her hair, she was asleep.

Since his daughter now seemed to be resting comfortably, Sam turned his attention to Phoebe. "How is she?" He asked.

"She's not out of the woods yet, but she's alive, thanks to you." Phoebe replied.

Now that he was no longer completely focussed on Paige, he noticed what Phoebe was wearing. "What happened to you?"

Phoebe sighed. "I was afraid Paige was going to ask me that but I guess she was still too out of it to notice. I had a very REAL vision and I couldn't come out of it." She explained that she had seen, or more accurately, _felt_, how Paige had been injured. "I'm okay now, though, but the doctor won't let me go home until tomorrow."

Sam remained silent for moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he processed the information the middle Charmed One had just shared with him. _Paige had recognised her attacker and had been too terrified to defend herself. How did she know the darklighter and what had he done to her to scare her so deeply? _These thoughts disturbed him greatly. He studied Phoebe's features briefly, registering her discomfort as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other while staring at the floor. "What is it you're not telling me?" He questioned calmly, yet with a sense of dread.

Phoebe looked up at Sam with uncertainty. She wasn't sure that she had the right to say anything. "You don't want to know." She spoke slowly and so softly her voice was barely audible.

"Look, I realise I haven't been around much, but I'm here now and _I am _Paige's father. I want to help. I _need _to know. However bad it may be. _Please_." Sam pleaded.

Phoebe hesitated, but decided she didn't really have a choice and she took a deep breath before beginning to speak, knowing that her words would be upsetting. She told him how her powers had been returned to her the day before in the form of a vision from Paige's past in which she had seen her younger sister being abused by a teenage boy not much older than herself. Phoebe was beginning to feel sick as she remembered how she had felt her sister's emotions, but she continued to speak, explaining that she was certain that Paige recognised the darklighter in the alley as the attacker from her past.

Sam remained silent and placed a hand over his mouth. Phoebe could see the pain in his eyes and the guilt etched in his face and as much as she wanted to help him, she had channelled so many emotions that day that she had reached the stage where vomiting was inevitable. She clutched her stomach and blurted out the words "Sorry, I have to go," before flinging the door open and running from the room.

Sam watched as she fled and could see a nurse approaching her who, after a brief pause, appeared to call out to someone else. He turned away as Phoebe emptied the contents of her stomach into a kidney shaped metal tray being held in front of her by a second nurse as the first nurse held her hair out of the way. He didn't see as one of the nurses wiped Phoebe's face with a damp cloth and gave her a glass of water to rinse her mouth with while the other one eased her into a wheelchair and took her back to her room. His attention was focussed on his frail offspring. "Oh Paige, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you." He stepped back from her bedside abruptly, suddenly feeling too ashamed of himself to be in the same room with his daughter, too consumed with anger at himself and at _them_. All the old feelings of being nothing but a complete failure came flooding back. He couldn't protect the woman he had loved and he couldn't protect his child. He left the room in the same way he had entered it, leaving Paige alone in her oblivious slumber.

* * *

A one armed darklighter roared in agony and fury as he clutched at the stump of his arm, blood trickling down his side and leaving a trail behind him. He was breathing heavily, beads of sweat dripping off of his forehead as he stumbled through the dark caverns of the Underworld. He leaned his good shoulder against the wall momentarily as a wave of nausea overcame him. When it had passed, he continued on his way. His injury wouldn't kill him but it had severely disabled him and he had a powerful alchemist to find, who it was rumoured (the Seer had told him), could fix anything.

The thing that had died a long time ago, was his humanity. His hatred, once reserved for Paige, now extended to the _witch_ who blew off his arm. Despite the excruciating pain he was feeling, a smile crossed his lips. The oldest Charmed One was vulnerable; he knew from the Seer that her Whitelighter was gone. Once he was healed and had his strength back, he knew just how he would break Paige. He would destroy her sister, and as an added bonus, the Power of Three.


	13. Chapter 13

**WARNING: Sensitive readers may find this chapter a little upsetting as Paige opens up about her past.**

_The 'Cliffhanger Queen' (thanks to 'chuffy-barmed-oc' for that one) is back!_ _Sorry for the delay, but just as my broadband was restored, my phone line went down and was only just fixed a few days ago. Then, just to put a spanner in the works, I couldn't log onto until today because the log in screen wasn't working. _

_**NOTE:** **You may wish to read Chapters 9 and 12 again as I have edited and re-posted them as well.** You, my perceptive readers, will notice the changes I have made within them. I felt that I needed tobe a bit more descriptive about how Phoebe's being able to channel her sister's emotions again is affecting her. Also, after watching the Season Six Episode 'Love's a Witch,' I remembered how Paige and Piper drank a potion obtained by Chris and given to them by Leo so Phoebe couldn't read their emotions anymore, I had to correct a little mistake I made in Chapter 9. Also, as most of my reviewers from the last chapter will have noticed already, I will try to respond personally to reviews (signed ones obviously) rather than posting notes at the beginning of every chapter. _

_Now, without further ado, I will leave you read the latest installment of Another Secret Revealed._

**Chapter 13**

Phoebe stood with her arms crossed at the foot of the staircase inside the Manor gazing upward, her brows creased with worry. Phoebe had been allowed to go home the day after she had told Sam about her vision. Paige on the other hand, had spent eight days in the hospital and had only been home for three. In that time she had said very little, ate very little and only left her room to use the bathroom. Phoebe had made numerous attempts to engage her younger sister in conversation, but either she received monosyllabic responses or Paige would indicate that she didn't want to talk at all. Phoebe knew it was going to take time for Paige to fully recover, and she didn't want to put any pressure on her, but shutting herself away as she was would only prolong the healing process. Phoebe had tried several times to call Sam in the hope that he might be able to help his daughter but her cries had apparently fallen on deaf ears. Well, she couldn't worry about him right now. Her sisters came first.

Piper didn't seem to be coping any better than Paige and was just as uncommunicative. Phoebe turned her attention towards the living room and had a side view of her big sister slumped on the couch, channel surfing with the remote, eyes glazed. Wyatt stood in front of the coffee table and looked from the TV screen to his mother. She couldn't see Chris but she could hear him gurgling. It bordered on the surreal for Phoebe to see her big sister in this state. With her busy schedule, she seldom watched television and it was Prue who used to drive Piper to the brink of madness with her incessant channel flicking, forcing the younger of the two into hiding the remote. Phoebe snickered at the memory. It was one of the rare occasions where _she_ had to step in as the mediator, gently persuading Piper to return the remote after getting Prue to agree to choose _one_ program to watch and stick to it. Piper was by no means neglecting her children or her sisters for that matter. She still cooked and she had even gone out of the house yesterday to buy groceries, but that was the extent of her activity. She hadn't even bothered going to the club since Paige had been hurt, leaving her manager to run things instead. Victor had been over almost every day to take the boys out and to help in any other way that he could.

It seemed to Phoebe that her sisters weren't living, they were simply existing and she didn't know how to help them. Part of her wished that she hadn't decided to go on sabbatical. Work would have provided a welcome distraction from the issues she was facing here at home and the emotions she was intercepting from her sisters. However, the other part of her knew she couldn't just run away from Piper and Paige when they needed her the most, even if they didn't realise it.

Maybe she could coax Piper into talking to Paige. Phoebe observed her sister a little longer before letting her arms fall to her sides and made her way into the living room. She flopped down on the couch beside Piper. "Hey."

"Mmm," Piper replied, not taking her eyes off of the television she wasn't really watching.

Phoebe's nose twitched slightly. "How very articulate of you," she quipped. However, her attempt at humour mixed with a dollop of sarcasm went right over Piper's head. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Piper?"

"…_Just roast in the oven for three hours and you'll have fantastic- _FLICK_-…thighs!_ _Try my new diet now! It's guaranteed to be the one that_-FLICK_-…makes you explode, so why do you bother to-_FLICK-_…watch Desperate Housewives Wednesdays at nine-_FLICK-…_in the steamy rainforests of Brazil…"_

"PIPER!" Phoebe rolled her eyes and yanked the remote out of her big sister's hand, switching off the television in the process.

The loss of the remote brought Piper out of her stupor. "Phoebe! What are you doing? You give that back right now!" She reached over her sister's lap to grab it from her but Phoebe jumped up and sat down on the top of the sofa, her feet coming to rest on the seat cushions, and held it just beyond Piper's grasp.

"Wow, that's the most you've said in the last three days!" Phoebe quipped again.

"Oh can it Phoebe! You have my attention now. What do you want?" The oldest Halliwell was not amused by her sister's antics.

Phoebe slid back down onto the seat cushion and set the remote on the coffee table. Both sisters watched Wyatt momentarily as he sat down on the blanket beside his little brother to play.

Piper turned her attention back to her little sister. "Well?" She persisted.

Phoebe took a deep breath. "Look, I didn't mean to annoy you. I just want to talk to you, or rather, I was wondering if you would talk to Paige. She's really quiet and she's not eating much."

The oldest Halliwell sighed. "I don't know if I'd be of any help to Paige right now. I'm not exactly feeling peachy myself-"

"-which is why you need to try and help Paige." Phoebe cut in. "You can't just sit here and waste away in front of the TV, sweetie. You know, I think helping Paige will help you to get over your own pain. Besides, I tried to talk to her myself but I can't get her to open up. I need you to tell her about my vision and find out what happened to her. Prue always went to you when she was upset. Maybe Paige will find it easier to talk to you. I know I can be a bit pushy sometimes. I'm so worried about you both. Please do this for me Piper."

Piper remained silent at first, but then she took a deep breath and smiled at her sister. "Okay. I'll cook something first and bring it up to her. Then I'll try and talk to her. Can you give Wyatt his lunch and put the boys down for their nap? I've fed Chris already."

"Of course, and thank you. You're the bestest big sister." Phoebe reached over to hug her big sister and saw Wyatt orb away out of the corner of her eye. Before she could shout his name he reappeared on the couch beside his mother. She watched as he crawled onto Piper's lap, breaking their hug. Her nephew's perceptiveness never ceased to amaze Phoebe. He reached up with his little hand and brushed a solitary teardrop away from the corner of his mother's eye and she wrapped her arms around him tightly in return, kissing the top of his head as she did so. She laughed softly as another tear formed in her eye and escaped down her cheek.

* * *

Piper walked up the stairs carrying a tray of sandwiches and hot soup for both Paige and herself. She used her elbow to tap on the door, and failing to get a response, she softly called out her sister's name. Still not getting a reply, Piper sighed and set the tray down carefully on the floor so she could open the door. She could see Paige lying on her uninjured side and staring blankly out the window.

"Paige? I've brought you some lunch. I thought I'd keep you company and eat with you if that's okay."

"Whatever." Paige mumbled, not moving.

Piper stood awkwardly at her sister's bedside. "Come on honey, turn over and sit up so I can put this tray on your lap. It's getting heavy."

Paige sighed and reluctantly complied, her body moving stiffly through the sheets. When she was sitting upright and leaning back against her pillows, Piper placed the tray in front of her. She took one of the bowls of soup and sat down on the sofa beside the window. She began to eat, keeping an eye on Paige, who sat motionless and stared into her bowl.

Piper swallowed a mouthful of soup and studied her sister for a moment before taking another mouthful of the hot liquid. Then she stopped altogether and let her spoon rest in the bowl. "It's home made vegetable. You like that don't you?" Piper helped herself to a cheese sandwich from the tray and took a bite out of it.

Paige nodded in response and picked up her spoon. Instead of filling it with the nourishing liquid and bringing it to her lips, she stirred over and over until a tiny whirlpool had begun to take shape inside the bowl, causing some of its contents to drip over the side.

Piper took another bite of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully, her eyes glued to her sister. "Paige, I'm not very hungry myself, but I'm eating because I my body needs the nourishment. It's even more important for you to eat so that you can heal properly, sweetie. At least try to eat the soup. Please?" She watched as Paige stared at her bowl. Then, very slowly, she filled her spoon with the hot liquid and brought it to her mouth. She swallowed carefully and repeated the process. Piper sighed with relief. "How's the soup?"

"Fine." Paige murmured.

The oldest Charmed One took a few more bites of her sandwich and a spoonful of soup before making another attempt at conversation. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." Paige responded.

"Well, that makes two of us." Piper riposted. "Are your meds helping you with the pain?"

"Not really."

Piper gazed out of the window and rolled her eyes. The way things were going she might as well be having a conversation with the wall. She continued to eat in silence, finishing off the rest of her sandwich. She then took another spoonful of soup, which accidentally went down the wrong way when Paige suddenly spoke without being prompted and she coughed slightly.

"I'm so sorry about Leo."

Paige's statement had caught Piper completely off guard. "Uh, thanks." She felt the ache in her heart intensify and she wanted desperately to steer the conversation in another direction, but if she wanted her sister to open up, she would have to do the same herself. "I miss him so much. When Prue died, I went into denial, I mourned, I was angry, but eventually I understood and I like to think I've moved on. But Leo is out there somewhere with no memory of his wife and sons and I may never see him again. How do I deal? How can I move on from that?" Piper left her soup unfinished and set her bowl on the window ledge. She wasn't setting a good example for her little sister, but she had lost her appetite and she was furiously fighting back her tears.

Paige smiled sympathetically at her older sister. "The best way to deal right now is to not give up hope that you'll see your soulmate again." Paige paused, taking in Piper's anguish. "I wish I could take your pain away."

Piper smiled in return and swallowed her tears. She rose from the sofa and sat down on the bed beside her sister. "No you don't. You have enough pain of your own to deal with sweetie." Paige responded with silence. Piper took Paige's hand in her own and they sat quietly for a few moments, each willing their strength on the other.

It was Piper who broke the silence. "Remember the vision Phoebe had the day you were hurt, the one that made her pass out? Well, it was about you, or more specifically, something that happened to you in the past."

Paige nodded. "I knew it. What did she see?"

Piper took a deep breath and exhaled before answering. She spoke slowly and gently. "Phoebe saw you being attacked when you were a teenager. She also had a vision of what happened to you in the alley and she couldn't come out of it. That's what put her in the hospital. Can you tell me what happened, honey?" She watched Paige fighting back tears of her. "I don't want to push you. I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it right now."

Paige let out a shaky sigh. "I'll tell you, but I want Phoebe here too. I don't want to go through this twice."

Piper stood up. "Okay. I'll go get her. Are you going to eat any more?" Paige shook her head. "I'll take all this with me then." She wasn't about to force Paige to eat when she couldn't manage herself. She took the tray from her sister's lap and grabbed her bowl from the window ledge, placing it on the tray. There was still soup in both bowls and most of the sandwiches had been left untouched.

Phoebe sat on the edge of her younger sister's bed and Piper reclaimed her spot on the sofa. She gazed briefly out of the window at an overcast dark sky. It had been threatening to rain all day and her ears had picked up the distant rumble of thunder. They both waited patiently for Paige to speak, neither one of them wanting to push her, knowing how difficult this was for her.

Paige sat with her hands clasped together, repeatedly tightening her grip so that her knuckles turned white and releasing it again. Her toes twitched under the covers and as the bandage covering her wound pinched at her skin she fidgeted uncomfortably. Opening up to her sisters not long after she had moved in with them about the flaming car crash that had killed her parents and how she had felt responsible for their deaths had been hard enough. She had actually relived the experience in order to understand that she had survived because she was able orb herself from the wreck. There was no way she would ever want to relive the terrible ordeal she was about to reveal to her sisters now. She had wanted this memory to stay buried in her past forever, but it had evidently come back to haunt her. When she finally began to talk, she spoke so softly Piper and Phoebe had to strain their ears to hear her.

"When I first met the two of you I told you I had been raised as an only child. That wasn't entirely true. I just pretended he never existed. When I was fourteen I had a foster brother for five months. His name was Greg and he was two years older than me. He had behaviour problems and he had been shifted from one foster family to the other. He was always getting into trouble. My parents, being the kind - hearted people they were took him in, thinking they could turn him around. He caused them more problems than I ever did. They never knew what he did to me, but I never blamed them for what happened. He made me believe that I deserved what he dished out to me. At first he just bullied me, pushed me around, made me give him my allowance. Sometimes he'd hit me, usually in places where the bruises couldn't be seen so no one would ask questions. He threatened to burn the house down to ground if I told anyone. He said my parents would die and I'd be taken away. Then he began to corner me in the house when Mom and Dad weren't home. He'd touch me in places where I didn't want to be touched. Then he exposed himself and made me do things I didn't want to do."

Paige blinked back tears and sobbed softly as she remembered how he had forced himself into her mouth, making her suck until his seed spurted down her throat and made her feel sick. She gagged now in the present as she remembered the vile, bitter taste of it. She clutched her throat and coughed, then took in a few shaky breaths before coughing again. Phoebe slid herself closer to her sister and ran her right hand up and down Paige's back in an effort to calm her. "Easy, sweetie, easy. Do you want to stop for now?"

Paige hesitated for a moment and then firmly shook her head back and forth. "No, I want to get this over with. Just give me a minute." When she was calmer, she continued. "One day I came home from school and I was relieved to find the house completely empty, or so I thought, until I opened the closet in my room to put my jacket away and there he was, standing in the darkness. He jumped out at me from behind and covered my mouth with his hand so I couldn't shout. When he turned me around to face him, he had this sick grin on face." She paused to wrap her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold.

"This is what I saw in my vision of you," Phoebe commented.

Paige blinked back more tears. Her teeth chattered slightly, causing her to stutter a little as she spoke. "I-I tried to fight him off, but I c-couldn't. He was too strong. I remember telling my p-parents I accidentally got hit in the face with a basketball in gym class at school." She swallowed and bit her lip. Her wounds, one from the arrow that had punctured her lung and the other from the chest drain, were beginning to throb but she didn't mind. She focussed on her physical pain to keep herself from feeling her emotional pain. "Before I knew w-what was happening he had me on the floor and he was tearing my clothes off. Then he...it h-hurt so much. When he was done he just left me there. I n-never told my parents what happened. He really did try to burn the house down anyway but my Dad managed to put it out in time. Greg was sent away after that and I never saw him again until…w-when I recognised him in the alley I p-panicked and froze. I l-lost an innocent because of him. I'm not surprised he's a darklighter now. H-He was always pure evil." Paige sobbed loudly and wiped at her tear soaked eyes. "Oh look at me, I'm a pathetic s-snivelling witch!"

Piper jumped up from her seat, grabbed the blanket from the end of the bed and wrapped it around her youngest sister's shoulders. "Shh, honey, you're not pathetic, you're upset and understandably so. And I know it hurts to lose an innocent but we can't save them all. You're very brave, honey."

Paige tried to force a smile but paled suddenly instead. "I think I'm going to puke!" Piper moved out of the way as she threw off her covers, the blanket around her shoulders falling to the floor as she ran to the bathroom, Phoebe trailing behind her. She held Paige's hair back as she fell to her knees and retched into the toilet. She continued to vomit long after there was nothing left to throw up and her wounds throbbed in protest.

When Paige finally finished, she slumped against the toilet, a wave of relief rushing through her. Her stomach had calmed, like the sea after a violent storm. She took a deep breath and exhaled noisily. She had opened herself up and let it all out, literally. Phoebe helped her to stand and led her to the bathroom sink. She grabbed a cup from the shelf above it, filled it with cold water and handed it to her younger sister who took it gratefully in her slightly trembling hand and gargled. "I can't believe I got this upset. I mean, I had therapy when I was still an undergraduate student at university. He was the main reason I had a drinking problem. That and thinking it was my fault that my parents died. I thought I was over it now." Paige turned on the tap and rinsed her face and neck with warm water.

"Well, he turned up again and shot you with a darklighter arrow. He opened up an old wound and created a new one, literally, while he was at it. It's understandable that you got upset, sweetie." Phoebe handed Paige a towel and she plastered her face with it, pointing blindly towards the cabinet. Phoebe frowned in confusion until she realised Paige was after her toothbrush. She covered it with toothpaste and passed it to her younger sister. When she was finished brushing her teeth, Phoebe guided Paige back to her bedroom and helped her get into bed, draping the covers over her.

Piper had made tea in the interim and handed both of her sisters mugs filled with steaming hot red liquid. "It's Rooibos, or Redbush tea. It comes from the mountains of South Africa. It's low in tannin and has no caffeine. It'll help settle your stomach Paige, and it will relax us all." She suddenly switched gears as a thought occurred to her. "Have you changed your dressings yet today, by the way?" Paige shook her head in response. "Right. Let me change them for you now. I don't want you to get an infection." Piper left the room to get the supplies she needed to clean her sister's wound and dress it.

Once Piper had completed her task, Paige suddenly found herself sandwiched between both of her sisters as they stretched themselves out on her bed. All three sisters sat in silence, sipping their tea, until Phoebe grabbed the remote from the nightstand and switched on the TV. "Let's see what daytime TV has to offer shall we?" She flicked through a few channels and stopped suddenly. "Look Piper, it's Ryder!"

"Aw, shut up!" Piper leaned over her youngest sister and slapped her middle sister on the thigh. Then her eyes suddenly went wide with shock. "Oh my god, I can't believe he's having an affair with that sleazy nurse bitch!"

"Ow!" Phoebe glared at her big sister, slapping her in return and then placed the remote back where she had found it. "A little kitsch therapy is just what we need, girls!"

Feeling a little awkward, Paige looked from Piper to Phoebe. Having been an only child when she was growing up, (except for those five months of hell) she didn't know how to be a baby sister, nor was she quite as tactile as her older siblings were. Yet, at the same time she felt protected and safe. Phoebe smiled at her reassuringly and Paige knew that her sister had tapped into her emotions, but for once she didn't mind. She wanted her sisters to know she felt secure and she smiled gratefully at them both. Part of her wished she could stay sheltered like this forever, but the other half of her knew that was impossible. For now though, she decided she would just enjoy the moment.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: **_The lyrics in this chapter come from_ **Enya's **_new album_ **Amarantine **_and the song is called_ **If I could be where you are**.

_I have replied to everyone who reviewed Chapter 13 except_ _**Drew**, who replied anonymously, so **Drew, **I'd like to thank you for your review now. It's good to hear from you._

_Now, I only received 5 reviews on the last chapter, for which I'm grateful, and I don't mean to sound greedy, but that's not a lot compared to the number of reviews I receive normally. I am hopingthat this is due to the fact that people are just really busy right now. Still, I'm a little concerned that maybe my fic is beginning to suck. Should I be worried?_

**Chapter 14**

It had been a long emotional day for the Charmed Ones, and for the youngest of the three in particular, but now it was finally winding down. Phoebe padded along the hallway in her bare feet, and paused in front of Paige's door. She opened it just a crack and peered inside to see her sister sleeping peacefully. The combination of the day's events and the sedative effects of her pain medication had completely drained her. Phoebe shut the door quietly and continued on her way to her own room. She stopped abruptly when she heard the soft, mournful threnody emanating from her older sister's room. It was now just after 9:00pm and Phoebe hadn't seen Piper since she had put the boys down two hours ago. She strained to listen and picked up the dispirited words that floated through the air.

_Where are you this moment?_

_only in my dreams._

_You're missing, but you're always_

_a heartbeat from me…_

Phoebe gasped and doubled over, leaning against the wall for support as she intercepted intense feelings of sorrow, loneliness, anger and guilt all in competition with each other. She felt Piper's aching, broken heart as if it were her own. She had felt it before and it was as intense now as it was then. _I have GOT to find something to block out my sisters' emotions soon. I don't know how much more I can take, _Phoebe thought to herself. She took a moment to compose herself and after taking a deep breath, she knocked softly on the door. "Can I come in?" She let herself in when she heard her sister's mumbled, "Uh huh." She looked around her. The room was bathed in subdued candlelight. Piper was dressed in her pyjamas and she lay on her side on top of the bed sheets, her head propped up slightly by the pillows. The window was slightly ajar and Phoebe felt a gentle breeze caress her cheek.

_I'm lost now without you,_

_I don't know where you are._

_I keep watching, I keep hoping,_

_But time keeps us apart._

"Sweetie, I'm not so sure you should be listening to music like that right now."

Phoebe made her way towards the bed but paused when Piper spoke. "I forgot how big it was."

"What's big?" The younger Halliwell was perplexed.

"This bed. And it's so empty." The older Halliwell drew figure eights on the satin sheets with the tip of her index finger. "When I felt a chill at night, Leo would lie down next to me and wrap his arms around me. His body heat warmed the whole bed. He was a human furnace. He made me feel warm and protected." She smiled lightly at the memory. "Now it's just cold." Her smile faded and her teeth chattered slightly, as if to accentuate the point.

"That would because the window's open, Sweetie." Phoebe quipped. Her attempt to lighten the mood had failed miserably as Piper's expression remained glum. She detoured to the window and closed it. Then she turned around and flopped herself onto the bed. She lay on her side also, facing her big sister. She could see even in the dim light that Piper's pillow was damp and her eyes were full of tears waiting to be shed. "Well, I can't make up for Leo, but I am here for you."

Piper sighed. "I had trouble getting Wyatt to sleep tonight. He was restless and irritable. He misses his father a lot. Chris is too young to know what's happening, but Wyatt knows his dad's gone."

_If I could be close beside you_

_If I could be where you are_

_If I could reach out and touch you_

_and bring you back home…_

The solemn lyrics brought memories of Phoebe's own lost love to the surface of her consciousness and she felt a small ache in her heart in the spot that would always be reserved for him. She didn't know quite what to say but she knew exactly what her despondent sister was going through and how grateful she had been that Piper and Paige had been there to help her through her grief. Placing her hand on top of Piper's, she stopped the finger that had begun to draw more urgently on the sheets. She watched as Piper lost control of her tears and they rushed down her cheeks in an arch and dripped onto the pillow, enlarging the damp spot. Phoebe brushed away the tears that followed with her thumb.

"When I was focussed on Paige this afternoon I was okay. When I'm distracted from my thoughts I can cope, but when I'm alone my grief comes flooding back and I can't stop it. I didn't think I had any tears left to shed but still I cry. And when I look at Wyatt he's so much like his daddy." Piper spoke softly.

_Is there a way I can find you_

_Is there a sign I should know_

_Is there a road I can follow_

_To bring you back home to me._

To Phoebe's relief the music stopped and the room was silent. As she reached over to wipe away more tears, her gaze fell on the tome lying on the nightstand. She had failed to notice it until now and frowned. "Piper, honey, what were you doing with the Book of Shadows?"

Piper replied slowly, as if she were ashamed of her actions. "Um, I thought maybe I could find a spell or something, anything to bring Leo back." More tears escaped.

"Oh sweetie. As much as I wish there were something in there to fix this, we both know there isn't. We can't undo what the Elders did. I know you're hurting but you'll just have to let this play out and hold on to the hope that he'll find you again. You're strong Piper. You held on when Prue died and you'll make it through this too. It's okay to cry. I'd be really worried if you didn't." Phoebe paused momentarily, taking in the state of her big sister. "Piper you're shivering. Why don't you get under the covers." Phoebe gave the sheets a little tug to get her sister moving and she ponderously complied, getting up from the bed to turn the sheets down, then crawling back in again.

Piper lay on her other side so that she was facing away from her sister, who was now sitting up with her back leaning against the headboard. Phoebe watched introspectively as Piper stared blankly at the window. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Mm hmm," Piper mumbled in response.

"When you visited me in hospital, I felt all the emotions I expected to feel from you but there was one that overpowered the others. Why do you feel so much guilt Piper?"

The oldest Halliwell repositioned herself so that she was lying flat on her back, hands resting on her stomach. "If Leo had never loved me, he'd still be a Whitelighter." Sheemphasised her response with a frown.

Piper's response and the ease with which she was able to obtain it stunned Phoebe. She wasn't expecting Piper to open up so easily. "Oh Piper, you don't really mean that."

"Yes I do. After Prue crashed my wedding and I ran to P3, I told Mom and Dad that, _Leo and I are clearly not destined to be_. She released a sigh. You know the old cliché – loving someone sometimes means having to let them go, but I was selfish. I held on to him for all I was worth and I let him break all the rules with me. If we had never got married, I would never have conceived his sons. Don't get me wrong, I love Wyatt and Chris with all my heart and I couldn't imagine life without them, but Leo would never have had to see adult Chris die. He would never have lost control like he did. Everything that happened is all my fault."

Phoebe shook her head. "Oh, I don't believe that. And I don't think that you really believe that either."

"Funny, that's exactly what Mom said. And I really DO believe it."

"No you-"Phoebe attempted to counter, but stopped when she realised that Piper really did feel at fault. She continued anyway, knowing she had to say something to try and rid Piper of her guilt. "Do you know what Leo said when you stormed out of the Manor that day?" Now it was Piper's turn to shake her head. "He said, _all I need is what's inside me to know that Piper and I are meant to be together_. Even though Leo may not realise it just at the moment, his love for you is still within him and it WILL lead him back to you. It always has in the past. I told everyone how your love for each other has touched us all, and it still does." Phoebe paused, pursing her lips together. What Cole and I had doesn't even come close to what you and Leo _have_." Phoebe deliberately stressed the present tense. "It is as much your destiny to be together with Leo as it is to be a Charmed One. Now, a witch and a demon, _that_ was a relationship that was definitely NOT meant to be and I was a stupid fool to think it ever was."

Piper smirked. "Nah. You're actually very smart."

Phoebe was pleased to see her big sister grinning and cracked a smile in return. "Piper," Phoebe paused for a moment, waiting for full eye contact from her sister. "Leo _can_ think for himself, you know. He fell in love with you all on his own. You didn't force him into anything. He was as aware of the risks as you, if not more, so don't go laying all the blame on yourself, okay?"

Piper remained silent, pondering her sister's words.

"OKAY?" Phoebe repeated with emphasis.

"Okay," Piper replied slowly, stifling a yawn. "Where do you suppose Leo is now?" She added thoughtfully.

Phoebe shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly don't know. Even with my power of premon-"

"That's it!" Piper interrupted, her eyes widening with dawning realisation as she bolted into an upright position and bombarded Phoebe with a wave of hope that seemed to drown out all other emotions. She cupped her hands around Phoebe's cheeks and kissed her sister on her forehead. "YOU are a genius! Stay here, I'll be right back!" Piper leapt off of the bed and darted out of the room, leaving her stunned sister behind.

"Huh?" Phoebe was having a blonde moment. She had empathic abilities but she couldn't read her big sister's thoughts, and she didn't have a clue what was up with her. Just as she was wondering if Piper was beginning to crack, she rushed back into the bedroom holding an object in her hand. Phoebe didn't recognise it at first in the dim candlelight, but as her big sister approached her and climbed back onto the bed, she saw what it was.

Piper knelt beside her sister, waving an empty A5 sized picture frame wildly in front of Phoebe's face forcing her to tilt her head a little to the right in order to avoid being smacked upside the head with it. "Are you out of your mind lady?" Phoebe questioned in disbelief.

"Oh, sorry Phoebe," the older Halliwell apologised quickly, lowering her arm back down to her side, finally registering Phoebe's complete lack of comprehension. She began to explain, the words tumbling out of her mouth. "Leo had this in his hand the last time I saw him, before _they _called him." She pointed her index finger at the ceiling as she referred to _them_. "I asked him to get the picture frame for the photo of the boys we had taken by the photographer at the studio a couple of weeks ago. He left it in the kitchen." She held the frame out to her sister who looked at it sceptically. "You can get a premonition if you touch it. You can see where he is and if he's okay." Piper said eagerly.

Phoebe glanced doubtfully at the frame, then back at her sister, shaking her head. Her own scepticism and Piper's massive dose of hope conflicted within her, making her feel slightly nauseous. "Piper-"

"PLEASE!" Piper pleaded with her sister. "You have to try." Her eyes glistened with fresh tears.

Phoebe sighed. As unreceptive as she was to the idea, she couldn't ignore Piper's desperation. She took the frame reluctantly and held onto it tightly with both hands as she squeezed her eyes shut. She opened them briefly when nothing happened, taking in Piper's expectant expression. She closed her eyes once more and concentrated even harder. Still nothing happened and she gave up, opening her eyes again. "Oh honey, I'm sorry. You know it doesn't always work."

Phoebe watched as Piper, still on her knees, wilted like a flower right in front of her. Hope had been replaced with bitter disappointment. She slouched and let her head hang down to her chest, a lone tear escaping down her cheek and splashing onto the duvet. Phoebe reached over and hugged her big sister, who stiffened in her arms. She broke the embrace to make eye contact with Piper. "Look, you KNOW I can't force premonitions. I tried, I really did."

Piper took in a shaky breath and exhaled noisily. "I know. I know, I just…I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry Phoebe. Now look who's the pathetic snivelling witch." Piper sniffled softly.

"Hey! We Halliwell witches are _not_ pathetic, nor do we snivel in this family," Phoebe reprimanded gently. "You have nothing to be sorry for, you're just upset and understandably so. Come on, sweetie, lie down." Phoebe placed the picture frame on the nightstand and helped Piper to get under the covers. "I'm going to make us some of that tea that we drank with Paige this afternoon. You need to calm down and get some rest, okay?" Piper nodded her head gently in reply, watching as Phoebe climbed off of the bed and made her way out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind her.

Once in the kitchen, Phoebe rummaged through the cupboards looking for the tea. When she found the tin she was looking for she set it on the counter and took two mugs from the shelf, placing them beside the tea with a thud. The cutlery drawer moaned as she opened it to retrieve a teaspoon and clanked as she bumped it shut with her hip, using the utensil in her hand to shovel tea into the filter at the same time. She grabbed the kettle and sighed as she filled it with water from the sink. She shook her head and blinked, the silence seemingly amplifying the sound of the running water so that it roared like Niagara Falls in Phoebe's ears. She set the kettle on the stove and rubbed at her aching temples as she waited impatiently for it to boil. She put the filter into the teapot and took the kettle off of the burner before it could whistle at full volume. She poured hot water over it until the pot was full, spilling a little over the side. It was then that she noticed her hands were shaking. She set the kettle back down onto the stovetop and balled her fists together in an attempt to control her trembling.

When the tea had steeped long enough she removed the filter, tossing it into the sink where it connected noisily with the spoon. Having mislaid the lid, Phoebe growled softly in annoyance as she searched for it, eventually spotting it next to the cookie jar. She uttered an expletive when it slipped out of her fingers as she picked it up, but thanks to her quick wiccan reflexes, she was able to catch it with her other hand before it could clatter onto the countertop. She jammed the lid onto the pot and filled both mugs with the steaming liquid.

Holding a mug in each hand, Phoebe walked carefully up the stairs and down the hall. She nudged the bedroom door open gently with her foot and looked up to see that Piper had already fallen asleep. She sighed with relief as she walked toward the bed. She placed one of the mugs on the nightstand and bent down to place a kiss on her big sister's forehead. "I love you," she whispered. Phoebe padded quietly over the floorboards and blew out all of the candles, plunging the room into darkness. Even in the shadows she could still see the gentle rise and fall of Piper's chest as she slept. She tiptoed silently to the door and closed it softly behind her.

She checked on Paige one more time and listened momentarily to the sound of her nocturnal breathing, before finally making her way to her own room. Channelling Piper's emotions had drained Phoebe and she was exhausted. She set her mug down and flopped onto her bed. It had been hard enough to take on the role of the middle sister after Prue died and Paige had come into the picture. Having to let go of the carefree, fun-loving, baby sister Phoebe had once been to become so responsible and grown up had actually been a frightening experience. Tackling demons paled in comparison. But now, with Piper not quite able to lead the family in her vulnerable state and Paige recovering from her injury, Phoebe found herself wearing the 'head witch' shoes. Both of her sisters needed her care and guidance. Was she up to the task, she wondered?

Phoebe was suddenly overwhelmed with disappointment as she realised that with things as they were in the Manor at the moment, her quest to find love and make her vision of bearing a child a reality would have to be put on the back burner, if not entirely sacrificed. Phoebe loved her sisters. Piper had always been there for her, as had Paige in the short time she had been with the family. She remembered how they supported her when she had to vanquish Cole and how they had helped her through her grief. She had to make her sisters her priority now. But what if the 'eternal child' within her took over for just for one fleeting moment, causing her to do something foolish? She had acted thoughtlessly before and lost her powers for it. She switched off the light and lay flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "Prue?" Phoebe whispered into the darkness. "Is this what it feels like to be you?" Only the silence answered.


	15. Chapter 15

_Thanks everyone for the great response to Chapter 14. I guess I still have your interest. Everyone who reviewed the last chapter should have received a response by now, except **Colleen**, who submitted an anonymous review, so I'd like to say thank you Colleen. I was pleased to receive your comments and I'm glad you're finding my fic very creative. _

_Read on..._

**Chapter 15**

Phoebe was still half-asleep as she stumbled into the kitchen, her hair standing on end. Her robe was open to reveal her pink tank top and pyjama bottoms underneath, the belt dangling at her sides. As she made her way towards her youngest sister who, to her surprise was up and sitting at the kitchen table holding baby Chris, the slipper on her right foot suddenly slid off and thudded into the table leg.

Piper was standing at the stove making omelettes and had her back to Phoebe, not noticing that she had entered the kitchen. She was startled by the sudden noise and she shrieked, dropping the spatula that she had been holding in her hand. It landed on the floor with a clatter as she threw her hand to her heart. "Oh." She sighed. "It's only you. For second there I thought you were a demon." She paused, taking in her sister's appearance. "Actually, you look kind of demonic this morning."

The middle sister slid her foot back into her slipper and plonked herself down on a chair beside Paige. "Thanks for the compliment." She muttered sarcastically and turned her attention to her little sister. "Morning. It's good to see you up Paige. How are you feeling?"

"Same as usual, stiff, sore, but feeling a little better now that I've told you and Piper everything." Paige offered her older sister a smile.

"That's good to hear, Sweetie. Feel up to going for a little walk to the park today? It'll do you good to get little fresh air and exercise." Phoebe asked.

"I suppose. But the question is, are YOU up to it? You look a little tired." Paige said, taking in her sister's appearance.

"Oh, I'll be fine after I've had my caffeine fix,"Phoebe replied, pouring coffee into the cup beside her. She put the pot down and reached over the table to run a hand through Wyatt's curly hair and took Chris from Paige. She sat down again, cradling her youngest nephew in her arms. "You are so cute, yes you are, yes you are!" She unknowingly made silly faces to accompany her babbling.

Paige rolled her eyes and snorted. Phoebe always overdid it with the cooing, but Chris seemed to be amused by it as he gave his Auntie a toothless grin and she smiled back at him.

Wyatt sat quietly, observing them both. He didn't seem to like the fact that his little brother was getting all the attention. His lips slowly formed into a pout and he furrowed his eyebrows, squinting at Chris. Phoebe suddenly found herself holding onto scintillating blue swirls of light as her nephew disappeared.

"Wyatt!" Phoebe and Piper exclaimed simultaneously, the older of the two dropping her spatula yet again.

"You orb your brother back here this instant!" Piper continued, watching as her son crossed his little arms together contumaciously. "I mean it!" She warned. Son glared at Mother defiantly, refusing to do as he was told.

"NOW!" Piper bellowed, her voice booming through the Manor.

Paige jumped, accidentally knocking her juice glass over, which rolled off of the table smashing to pieces as it hit the floor. She winced, clutching at her side with both hands as pain shot through her chest and she inhaled sharply. Wyatt, frightened by his mother's outburst, opened his mouth and howled, bursting into tears. Chris reappeared in Phoebe's arms and let out an ear- piercing scream of his own, startling her. She flinched and accidentally tipped her coffee cup over with her elbow, spilling its contents onto the table. She instinctively skidded backward in her chair in order to protect Chris from the hot liquid.

In her own rush to get to Wyatt, Piper's hip connected with the handle of the frying pan which she had just been holding, causing it to spin slightly and it toppled over onto the floor. The pan landed upside down beside its partner the spatula on the floor, and the omelette, now scrambled egg, spattered everywhere, bits of mushroom and peppers sliding under the island towards the opposite end of the kitchen. "Ahh!" Piper growled. "So much for breakfast!"

She left the mess on the floor, her need to get to Wyatt more urgent. She lifted Wyatt out of his highchair, eyeing Paige, who had covered both ears with her hands to block out the screams of her nephews that continued to shatter the silence.

"I'm sorry I screamed at you Wyatt, but you know you scare Mommy half to death when you orb your little brother like that," Piper reprimanded, while holding her oldest son in her arms.

"Did you have to shout so loudly before? I understand you got a fright but there was no need to get hysterical," Phoebe complained, still trying to get Chris to settle down. Her irritation was apparent in her voice.

"Look, I said I'm sorry, and I'm not hysterical. I'm a MOTHER Phoebe!" Piper's voice was beginning to rise again.

"Piper, will you STOP shouting and calm down!" Phoebe demanded.

"And what are you doing, exactly? WHISPERING?" Piper countered sarcastically.

"What is this, pick on Phoebe day?" Phoebe snapped, throwing her arms up.

"Look who's talking, YOU'RE the one who accused ME of being hysterical!" Piper snapped back.

"Oh! You had a go at ME the moment I walked through the door this morning!" Phoebe retorted angrily.

"Well, you were asking for it!" Piper riposted acridly.

"LOOK I TOLD YOU I CAN'T FORCE A PREMONITION! You know that!" Phoebe exploded. Channelling Piper's anger had amplified her own ire. "That's what this is about, isn't it Piper? You're mad at me because I don't know where Leo is!"

"You didn't even try! You think I've lost it!" Piper shouted.

The heated exchange between the two sisters continued, each snapping at the other while the boys' screaming persisted.

"I can't take this." Paige didn't have a clue why her sisters were her sisters were being so contentious with each other, but she'd had enough. She got up, the sudden movement causing her to wince again. Her chair screeched as she pushed it away from the table, and she walked stiffly towards the door, leaving her sisters alone. The sound of her coughing trailed behind her.

Piper and Phoebe's bickering stopped abruptly as they took in the youngest sister's subitaneous departure. The boys' crying slowly subsided with the silence. The two older siblings listened as their younger sister inhaled heavily and exhaled with a cough from somewhere beyond the kitchen door.

"I'll go check on her." Phoebe's tone of voice was thick with tension and indicated that although Paige had unknowingly induced a cease- fire between the two older siblings, the argument was far from over. She placed Chris gently in his carrier and handed it to Piper, who glared back at her sister and watched as she left the room.

"Da…da!" Wyatt hiccuped and sobbed softly in his mother's arms, his tears leaving streaks down his cheeks.

Piper's features mellowed considerably, her anger melting as she looked into her son's watering eyes. Chris had stopped crying altogether and simply stared up at his mother as she spoke to his brother. "I know Wyatt, honey, you miss your father and you took out your frustration on your little brother, didn't you? I don't know where your daddy is or how to find him, but I do know I'll never leave you, either of you," she said, looking down at Chris. "I promise." She kissed the top of Wyatt's forehead. Shifting his weight to one arm, she sat down and not wanting her youngest son to feel left out, she placed the carrier on the table momentarily so that she could give him a kiss on his forehead as well, gently caressing his cheek with her little finger.

"Paige?" Phoebe looked around her and glanced down the hallway, finding her sister halfway up the staircase sitting on a step, struggling to catch her breath. The acting family matriarch rushed up the stairs and crouched before her sister, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her breathing seemed almost asthmatic, Phoebe thought to herself, remembering a friend she had known at college who had the condition. She watched as Paige wheezed with every inhalation and exhalation and acted quickly, squeezing past her sister to sit on the edge of the step above her and straddle a leg on either side of her. Paige was a little taller than Phoebe, but sitting this way, the older sister was just at the right height to wrap her arms comfortably around Paige's chest below her bust firmly enough to support, but not hurt her. "Lean on me but sit up straight. Breathe with me honey. Feel my chest as I breathe in and out. In…out. In…out," she coached gently, praying silently that this would work.

Paige was confused by Phoebe's actions at first but complied and concentrated on feeling the rise and fall of her sister's chest on her back. As her breathing became more regulated, Paige realised she could even feel the beating of Phoebe's heart and allowed it to soothe her. Soon the two sisters were inhaling and exhaling in unison.

"That's it Paige. You're okay now." Phoebe spoke softly. "You're okay." She felt her younger sister beginning to relax.

Paige was abashed as she looked at her hands and retracted them, only just realising that she had been gripping the legs of her sister's pyjamas. "Sorry…Phoebe." She said between breaths.

"Shh…it doesn't matter. Don't talk, just concentrate on your breathing." Phoebe instructed.

Once Paige's breathing was under control, Phoebe let go and moved back down to the lower step so that she was facing the youngest Charmed One and placed a reassuring hand on her knee. "I think we should call the doctor and maybe get you to the hospital. Piper!"

"No!" Paige raised her voice in protest and took another breath. Then she lowered her voice before continuing to speak. "I'm fine now Phoebe, thanks. You did the right thing, just no more hospital." She shook her head vigorously and took another breath. "I was coughing and then I just started to hyperventilate, that's all." She paused thoughtfully. "Hmm. I haven't done that since…" Her voice trailed off." Anyway, I guess I just got stressed when you and Piper started arguing. I mean it's my fault, I caused all of this, if I had just been honest and told you both the truth in the first place-"

Phoebe cut her off. The youngest Charmed One was babbling and beginning to lose her breath again. "Paige, honey, you are not to blame for our falling out. Piper is mad at ME right now, not you. Where is she anyway? Piper stop ignoring me and get out here now!" The middle sister could feel her anger rising to the surface again, but she tried to suppress it, and helped Paige to her feet. "Want to come and watch me kick our big sister's wiccan butt?

Paige threw up both arms, causing herself more pain and gritted her teeth. "No, I think I'll pass." She paused, momentarily. "Look, I'm feeling a little awkward and I just need to be alone for a while to get myself together. You don't need to call Piper, and cut her some slack please." She turned her back to her middle sister and resumed the journey to her room.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about Paige. Are we still on for that walk?" Phoebe's words followed her sister up the stairs.

"Later." Paige's muffled reply came from somewhere down the hall.

Phoebe sighed, making her way down the stairs and back to the kitchen. She hesitated when she reached the door, resting the palm of her hand on it. Taking a deep breath, she swung the door open. "You cannot just-"

She stopped abruptly as she took in the sight before her. Chris was still in his carrier and her father was now standing at the back door, his mouth agape. There was no sign of Wyatt or his mother.

Two voices filled the silence with one questioning word. "Piper?"


	16. Chapter 16

_Special thanks to **Swedish Mystery** for helping me out with this chapter, whose 'linguistic' experitise in a certain language made it possible. If you're a little confused now, my readers, you won't be once you've read this part._

_Thanks everyone for the massive response to this fic I have received so far and the loads of reviews. I believe I have responded to everyone who reviewed last chapter. If I have missed anyone out it was by accident. You fill me with the confidence and strength I need to continue writing this work. So, without further ado, Jessica (good to hear from you) and all my readers, I will leave you now to find out what happened to Piper..._

**Chapter 16**

Phoebe looked at her father, panic rising within her. "What happened?"

"He-he orbed!" Victor stretched out his arm and pointed at the chair where Piper had been sitting with Wyatt in her lap just moments ago.

"Could you elaborate a little on that Dad?" Phoebe coaxed urgently.

"Wyatt orbed out of here with his mother," Victor explained while picking up his youngest grandson. "Where did they go?"

Phoebe's eyes went wide with dawning realisation and her panic evaporated instantly. "Oh my god, he found him!"

Her father looked perplexed. "Okay, now I'M lost."

"Oh, sorry. Wyatt sensed his father and orbed to him with Piper," Phoebe explained hurriedly. A smile formed at the corners of her mouth and she clapped her hands to together. "I have such a clever nephew!"

"How?" Victor questioned. "I mean, Leo isn't a Whitelighter anymore. I thought he'd be off the magic radar, so to speak."

"When the Elders couldn't find Sam because he stopped using magic, they made him Paige's first charge, knowing that he was her biological father. Wyatt was able to sense his father just like Paige could hers - because they're blood relatives." Phoebe explained.

"So what we do now?" Victor demanded.

"We- " Phoebe exaggerated the word before continuing. "-clean up this mess," she said, looking around her. "Then I'm going to make Paige something to eat, because as you can see, breakfast was a bit of a disaster and- "

Her father, growing impatient, interrupted her. "What about Piper and my grandson? We don't know where they are."

"No, we don't and we don't have to." Phoebe registered her father's look of concern. "Look, try not to worry Dad. I can look in the Book of Shadows for a spell later if we need it, but right now I'm going to change into some clothes. I'll be back in a moment."

Holding Chris in one arm, Victor started to clear off the table while he waited. "What about Paige, can't she just orb to them?" he asked when Phoebe returned two minutes later dressed in her favour jeans and a T-shirt with her hair tied back.

Phoebe shook her head firmly. "No. She's still too weak to orb. She could hurt herself again." She cleared away the few remaining dishes and made her way to the sink.

Victor exhaled heavily, surveying the mess in the kitchen. "What happened here anyway? Was there a demon attack?"

"No." Phoebe sighed, as she stepped gingerly over the splattered omelette on the floor and piled the dishes in the sink. "Just an attack of clumsiness and two quibbling sisters." Just as she was about to turn on the tap, the doorbell rang and she grimaced. "Great, now what?"

Phoebe left her father in the kitchen and went to the front door, pausing to study the shadow of the figure standing outside through the stained glass window and concluded it was male. She opened the door cautiously, peering through a small gap first, until she recognised who it was and swung the door open to let him in. "Aidan, hi! Come on in." She stepped aside to allow him passage into the manor and shut the door behind him. Piper had told her younger siblings about his secret and they had grown so used to his presence at the hospital that they were completely at ease around him now. Phoebe thought it was great to know someone outside of the family who was a witch as well, and a hunk of a man at that too, with his dark locks and ocean blue eyes.

"Hi Phoebe, how are you, you look a little stressed? I hope I'm not intruding, I just wanted to see how the three of you were doing." Aidan smiled.

Phoebe led him through the hall and into the living room. "I'm okay, although it's been a little rough around here this morning."

"What happened?" Aidan asked, his smile disappeared and was replaced with a look of concern.

"Well, let's see, Piper and I started the morning off with an argument which upset Paige and we accidentally trashed the kitchen in the process. My Dad's in there now helping to clean up the mess. Then Paige was having trouble breathing and while I was sitting on the stairs trying to calm her down, my prodigious nephew orbed my big sister to god knows where in search of his father." Phoebe, suddenly conscious of her loquaciousness, gave Aidan a sheepish look. "Oops, sorry, I'm rambling."

"Don't apologise, you REALLY have had a rough morning, it's understandable." Harris shook his head in astonishment as her words registered in his brain. "Did you say your nephew _orbed_ with his mother? I thought he was just a toddler?"

"Oh, Wyatt's no ordinary child, being the son of a witch and a whitelighter. He orbs his little brother all over the place to the annoyance of his mother, and he even managed to let a dragon loose on the unsuspecting population of San Francisco, accidentally, of course. He certainly keeps us on our toes."

Aidan shook his head again. "Whoa!" He exhaled noisily. "How's Paige? You said she had some trouble today."

"She's still feeling sore but she's coping. Would you like me to see if she's up to coming downstairs?"

"No need, she's already here." Paige answered.

Phoebe turned around to see her younger sister standing on the bottom step. "Hey, Sweetie. We've got company."

Paige looked over her sister's shoulder. "Hi, Aidan. What brings you here, business or pleasure?" Judging by the casual attire he was wearing, she surmised it was the latter and felt rather silly for asking the question in the first place.

Harris rose from his spot on the couch as she approached him. He took her hand in his and shook it gently, savouring the supple warmth of it in his fingers. He was reluctant to let go, but had to so that he could give her the plastic bag he had been holding. "I came to bring you these, actually. I thought you might like some books to read while you're at home convalescing. You're looking well."

Paige peered into the bag and fished out its contents. "Thank you Aidan, that's really sweet of you. She scanned the covers. I'm into Douglas Coupland right now. How did you know? _Girlfriend in A Coma _is his best work ever as far as I'm concerned. And _Eleanor Rigby_ is his latest book." She set the books down on the coffee table.

"Lucky guess?" He shrugged, glancing at Phoebe over Paige's shoulder, who gazed knowingly back at him. "Listen, I was wondering if you might like to get out of here for a while and go for a walk."

Paige hesitated. "Actually, my sister and I were going to-"

"It's okay, go ahead, I've got things to do anyway, but let me make you something to eat first." Phoebe interjected, studying her sister's body language. She didn't need her empathic abilities know what her sister was feeling. Paige had substituted a full arm-cross gesture with a subtler version, not wanting to reveal her fear and apprehension outright. One arm held onto the other at the elbow, forming a barrier around her as if she were hugging herself.

"We can grab a bite while we're out," Aidan suggested.

It was clear to Phoebe that Paige was lacking a little in self-confidence, and she wrapped her own arm around her sister's waist, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Paige rested her head on her big sister's shoulder momentarily in response.

"You could do with a little fresh air. You've been cooped up in here since you got out of the hospital. Go," Phoebe encouraged her younger sibling gently.

"All right, then. Let me just get my jacket." Paige let her hand drop to her side and released herself from her sister's comforting embrace. She smiled at Aidan and walked into the hallway, with Harris following behind her.

Phoebe went into protective mode and grabbed Harris by the wrist to stop him. She thought of Prue at that moment and how her big sister had done the same thing with both Piper and herself when they were younger, giving their dates stern warnings to take care of them while they were out and bring them back safely 'or else'. He stopped in his tracks and turned his head to face her, giving her a questioning look. "Aidan, don't overdo it okay? She's still recovering and she tires easily." Unlike Prue though, her words were placable and etched with concern. She knew he would never deliberately hurt Paige. He had played a pivotal role in saving her life after all. She just wanted him to be cautious with her sister.

Harris smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her. I promise."

"Paige, make sure you take your meds before you go out, okay?" Phoebe called out to her sister.

"Yes, I already have, MOM!" Paige answered. She reappeared with a grin on her face and Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Look, your Dad just told me about Piper and Wyatt. Why didn't you say anything? Maybe I should stay."

"No. There's nothing either of us can do to help Piper right now. Besides, I'm sure that she and Wyatt will have returned by the time you get back."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Paige stalled.

"I'll be fine, now go. Shoo!" Phoebe made a sweeping motion with her hand toward the door and watched as they left the manor. Sighing, she made her way back to the kitchen.

* * *

While Piper was fussing over Chris as she sat in the kitchen, she noticed that Wyatt had gone quiet in her arms. She grabbed a tissue from her pocket and wiped his tears away with it. She froze suddenly as she recognised the expression on Wyatt's face, the one that appeared when he was about to do something magical. His eyes narrowed and he placed his little hand on his mother's chest.

A look of horror crossed Piper's features as she felt herself beginning to orb. "No, no, no! Wyatt, stop!" Having inherited his mother's stubbornness, Wyatt Matthew Halliwell refused to listen. Piper thought she could hear the muted voice of her father as the kitchen disappeared from view. Then all she could see was bright blue light.

When the light disappeared, Piper found that she was standing in a toilet stall. She cursed silently to herself for putting the baby carrier on the table, but she was quite sure that her father was at the Manor now and she pacified herself with the knowledge that he would have the sense to take it or lift Chris out of it. She opened the door and walked out, looking around her. She appeared to be alone. "Well, at least you were discreet, but why did you orb Mommy into a public restroom?"

Wyatt remained silent and pointed a little index finger at the exit. Piper looked at her son with narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. "Uh, huh. And what am I going to find exactly?"

Wyatt took his finger out of his mouth and pointed in the same direction again, this time mumbling "Da!"

Piper cocked her head slightly in surprise as she looked into her son's eyes. "No. You couldn't have, could you?" She hesitated momentarily, but curiosity got the better of her and she found herself walking through the exit. She did a double take and halted abruptly as she noticed the sign on the door to her right that said, "_Herr._" She whirled around to look at the sign on the door she had just come out of, which read, "_Dam._" Piper shook her head in confusion. "Huh?"

She turned around again and looked ahead. She could see people sitting at tables, some were sipping coffee, others were eating pastries or cake. She could hear muffled conversation and the clatter of cutlery and cups. Piper concluded that her son had orbed them to a café of some sort that she had never seen before. As she walked into the main area she realised she couldn't understand a word anyone was saying. "Wyatt, where the heck did you orb us to?" She mumbled between clenched teeth, shifting his weight from her right to her left hip.

Piper didn't notice the sandy blonde haired waiter coming at her from the right, nor did he see her. He walked into her, upsetting the tray he was carrying, toppling the cup and spilling its contents onto the floor. "Förlåt!" He apologised.

Piper stood frozen to the spot unable to speak, eyes wide with shock, her mouth agape as she recognised the person standing in front of her. "Da!" Wyatt howled with delight, his eyes lighting up.

The man looked at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. She had blanched visibly upon seeing him and he didn't understand why. "Är du ok?" The young woman didn't reply and so he tried again. "Kan jag hjälpa dig med något?"

Piper seemed to have found her voice again and spoke slowly. "I'm sorry, I don't understand you. What language are you speaking?"

The man echoed her in his foreign tongue. "Vad sa du?"

"Can't you speak English?" She questioned.

"Ursäkta, jag har lite svårt att höra vad du säger. Vad sa du?" He couldn't hear the young woman as his colleague began to grind coffee from the counter behind him.

Piper was getting very frustrated. She couldn't understand her _own_ husband, literally, and she had no idea where she was. A rustling sound caught her attention and she looked to her left, past Wyatt to a woman holding up a newspaper as she read. Piper studied the title on the front page, _Svenska Dagbladet_. The word _Svenska _jumped out at her. She looked at Wyatt in disbelief. "We can't possibly be in…" She let her words trail off as she looked at her husband, who appeared to have no idea he was standing beside his wife. "This can't be happening. I'm s-so sorry. I have to go."

Leo watched as she bolted from the café and frowned. He had never seen this woman before, and come to think it, he didn't remember seeing her enter the café, but somehow, there was something familiar about her and even the child she had held in her arms. He knelt down to pick up the pieces of the broken cup, his thoughts dwelling on the mysterious dark haired lady who had literally collided into his life.

Piper ran down the unfamiliar street, her face turning bright red. She was breathing heavily from the exertion of running and carrying the weight of her son at the same time. She ran into a narrow, cobble stoned street that appeared to be empty and stopped. She looked wildly around her, not knowing whether to burst into tears or scream at the top of her lungs with rage, so instead she simply said "Orb us home, Wyatt," between shaky breaths. Wyatt looked at his mother in silence, and sensed her distress. "Please!" Mother begged son. Suddenly, they were engulfed in swirls of blue light and vanished, leaving the street empty once again.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"How much longer? I DON'T have the PATIENCE for this!" The angry darklighter's voice boomed through the dark cavern. He raised his left shoulder and examined the stump. It was now healed and it was slowly beginning to re-grow, but was still a long way from being a fully functioning arm.

"Apparently not." The alchemist responded dryly, his voice dripping with irony.

The darklighter growled and sent several empty potion vials flying through the air with his good arm in frustration. They shattered against the wall at the far end of the rocky cavern.

"Do you mind?" The alchemist exclaimed with irritation.

"How DARE you talk to me like that. I'll kill you!" The darklighter sent more vials, jars containing potions ingredients and other objects flying through the air in his rage.

The alchemist ducked to avoid an athame that sailed past his head and chuckled with amusement. "No you won't. You need my help, which I can't give you if you wreck the place, by the way. I told you, it would take time to re-grow your arm. You have to keep drinking my potion every day for the next week." He glared at the darklighter with disgust. "You're lucky I'm helping you at all. But like you, I want vengeance. My son Kierkan was foolish enough to allow himself to be vanquished by the Charmed Ones. His preoccupation with a certain life essence he created led to his undoing, and if you're not careful, I foresee your own death if you let your obsession with the witches consume you."

"_Witch," _The darklighter corrected, "-not witch_es_, and I thought you were an alchemist, not a damn oracle! How much LONGER until my arm grows back?" He questioned impatiently.

"A week, maybe two." The alchemist replied.

"WHAT?" The darklighter growled. He lunged out at the alchemist with his right hand, wrapped his fingers around the old man's neck and squeezed. He watched as his choking victim's eyes bulged and his crimson coloured face swelled. "You find a way to make my arm grow faster or I WILL kill you."

"If you do," the alchemist forced the words out, gasping for air. "-you'll never hold a crossbow again."

The raging darklighter growled once more with frustration and released his grip, watching as the alchemist fell to his knees, coughing and sputtering.

"There is a way to accelerate the growth," the alchemist admitted between breaths, "-but it will be very painful and may even destroy you." The old man coughed once more and raised himself up slowly from the ground.

"Then DO it." The darklighter ordered.

* * *

"Thanks for the brunch. It was very nice of you to think of me today." Paige smiled up at Aidan as they strolled leisurely through Golden Gate Park. She had been holding onto his arm for support at his insistence but let go so that she could sit down on a nearby park bench. Once she was seated, she took a deep breath and released it, placing a hand against her chest as she did so.

"Don't mention it. Are you okay? You look a little pale." Harris looked at her with concern and sat down beside her. As much as he wanted to feel the warmth of her body next to him, he kept a little distance between them out of respect for Paige. Besides, he was a cop, a professional.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired." Paige answered. She leaned forward slightly, resting both hands on the edge of the bench for support, and she gazed out at the lake in front of them. There was a mother and a small child at the water's edge feeding the swans that had gathered there. The child giggled as the birds greedily snapped up the floating breadcrumbs.

"Um," Harris cleared his throat before continuing, making his Adam's apple bob up and down. "I'm making you feel uncomfortable, aren't I?"

Paige looked at Aidan in surprise and found his intuitiveness a little unnerving. She already had an empathic sister who could read her like a book. "Am I that obvious?"

Aidan nodded. "Why?"

"Look," Paige paused for a moment to think about what she was going to say and decided to be as explicit with Aidan as he had been with her. "I know you like me. I've known since we met at the hospital. You've been really good to me and I appreciate everything you've done, but I can't handle anything more than friendship right now. I've just got stuff to deal with…" She let her words trail off.

Now it was Aidan's turn to be stunned. "Am _I _that obvious?" They both smiled at each other. "I'm sorry Paige, I never meant to pressure you. I just enjoy your company, a lot," he admitted. "It would be unethical, not to mention very wrong to date you while I'm still assigned to your case. Besides, I know what you've been through and I understand."

Paige breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed for the first time that day. Unfortunately, her abatement was short-lived. She looked out at the lake and saw that the child from earlier, a little girl, had strayed away from her mother in pursuit of the swans that were now beginning to paddle away along the water's edge. The child's mother was engaged in conversation with an acquaintance and had her back turned to her daughter. The swans paddled further away from the shore and the little girl ran onto a small wooden dock in an effort to reach them. She took a piece of bread out of the bag she was holding and stretched her little arm out to the swan that stopped in front of her. She leaned too far forward. Paige looked on in horror as the little girl lost her balance and tumbled, screaming, into the water.

The little girl's mother whirled around at the sound of her daughter's cries and shrieked with terror as the child disappeared beneath the water's surface. "Oh my god! Rachel! Rachel!"

Paige reacted instinctively to the situation. She was up in a flash and running at lightning speed with strength she didn't know she had towards the lake, not thinking in the slightest about herself or her injury. Aidan, however, was, and he followed close behind her. "Paige stop! You can't! Paige!" His eyes went wide with horror as he realised that he was too late to stop her from jumping in after the child. He tossed his cell phone to theperson who was attempting to console the panicking mother. "Call an ambulance." He watched as Paige dove under the water in search of the girl. When she came up briefly, gasping for air, Aidan threw off his jacket and dove off of the edge of the dock himself to help her. He sucked in a breath as he made contact with the icy cold water. Just as he was about to begin his search for her, Paige burst through the surface of the water with the little girl in one arm. She held the child out to Aidan with what little strength she had left, and he took her, reluctantly leaving Paige behind and swam back to the dock.

"Rachel! Oh, thank God!" Seeing that her daughter had been saved, she ran to the edge of the dock and lifted the coughing, sputtering child out of Aidan's arms. She held her daughter gratefully in her arms. She was frightened and shivering with cold, but otherwise unhurt. With the child taken care of, Harris could focus on helping Paige, but when he turned to face the water, she was gone. He looked frantically in every direction. "Paige?" The only response he received was the sound of the water as it splashed gently against the shore. "PAIGE!"

* * *

Phoebe had just finished tidying the kitchen and she looked around her with satisfaction. Her father had just returned from putting baby Chris down for his nap and he sat down at the table with a worried frown on his face. "Think they'll be back soon?" He asked, leaning his elbow on the back of his chair.

His question was answered by a swirl of blue orbs that had appeared in front of him. He stared open mouthed at the still transparent forms of his grandson and eldest daughter. He looked over at Phoebe who had doubled over, groaning with pain. She had already begun to intercept Piper's emotions before she had even taken physical form.

Wyatt sobbed in his mother's arms as she stormed out of the kitchen without acknowledging her father or her sister. Phoebe, still doubled over, was consumed with her sister's rage and she found herself involuntarily channelling Piper's powers as well. She gripped the edge of the countertop with her left hand and screamed through gritted teeth as she flung out her right hand, blowing the kitchen table to pieces. The explosion sent Victor flying from his chair, legs thrashing, and then he skidded along the floor on his stomach. He covered his head with his hands to protect it from the splinters of wood raining down on him.

Phoebe crouched behind the counter, panting heavily from Piper's rage and her own shock. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. She clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly and muttered to herself between breaths. "Get a grip, Phoebe, get a grip." When the dust had settled, she crawled on all fours towards her father, but froze and placed a hand on her stomach, feeling a twinge of panic that wasn't her own, nor was it coming from Piper. It was faint, lasting only briefly and then it was gone. Phoebe shivered and couldn't help but think of Paige at that moment. She closed her eyes tightly and opened them again, shaking her head lightly. "One sister at a time." She mumbled to herself. When she reached her father, she lifted a piece of wood from his head and tossed it on the floor. "Are you okay Dad? I am so sorry." She rose to her feet and helped her father to stand.

"I'm fine. The table however, is not. What the hell was that? Did you do this?" Victor asked, surveying the damage around him as he brushed splinters from his hair and shoulders. The table and everything around it had been completely demolished and the glass pane on the back door had been shattered.

"No. It was Piper, actually." Phoebe answered. "Excuse me, I need to find her."

"But-" Victor watched as Phoebe walked out of the kitchen in search of her sister. Their magic never ceased to confuse him and as usual, he didn't really understand what had just happened, nor was he sure he wanted to.

"Piper!" Phoebe found Wyatt in his playpen and she lifted him into her arms. She noticed that the front door was slightly ajar and when she walked up to it to close it, she saw that Piper's jeep was gone. Wyatt began to cry again and she cuddled him. "Don't you worry, I'll find your Mommy. Where did you take her anyway, huh?" She kissed his forehead as she walked back into the kitchen and handed him to his grandfather.

"Piper took off. Can you watch the boys while I go out and look for her?" She asked while grabbing the keys to her Mini.

"Of course. Call me when you find her." Victor answered.

"I will." Phoebe made her way towards the front door, snatching her purse from the hallway table. She climbed into her car and put the key in the ignition. The tires screeched lightly as she pulled out of the driveway and sped towards P3.

* * *

Sam sat, completely sober, atop the San Francisco bridge and looked out at the bay. He had learned from Leo, surprisingly, what an ideal place it was to reflect in solitude. He went there frequently these days, particularly when the urge to drink was strongest, like it was now. He rocked gently back and forth in resistance to the urge to orb to the nearest bar. He had made the decision to quit the bottle after his daughter had restored him the day he healed her at the Manor. Now, he felt like a failure all over again.

He had been watching over her in the hospital and while she was recovering at home, usually at night while she slept, not wanting to be seen. He was too ashamed and resented himself for not being there at a time in her life when she needed him most. A twinge of anger also extended to Paige's adoptive parents because they had allowed a monster into their house to violate his daughter, but he extinguished it quickly, like a flame. They had taken her in, raised her, treated her as their own, after he had abandoned his own flesh and blood because he was too cowardly to face the wrath of the Elders, to admit he loved a witch and conceived a child with her. He envied Leo for his courage and defiance but would never admit it, choosing to scorn him instead whenever the opportunity arose. He felt compassion for the fallen Whitelighter now, who had unknowingly lost everything, even his identity. At least Leo had been able to do what no Whitelighter before him was allowed to do, and there was still a slight chance that he might find his way back to his soulmate.

Sam cringed suddenly and was ripped out of his thoughts. He gasped for air as if he were drowning and he cried out in pain, clutching his chest. His eyes went wide as he realised that he was sensing Paige's distress. He struggled to stand up, leaning against a beam for support. Pulling himself together, he closed his eyes and concentrated. The second Sam sensed her location he orbed out, his thoughts of drink suddenly irrelevant and quickly forgotten.

He wasn't expecting to re-materialise submerged in water and Sam floundered momentarily until he was able to adjust and get his bearings. Luckily, the lack of air in this environment wasn't a problem for a man who was already dead. He saw her almost immediately, drifting toward him and his jaw dropped, releasing bubbles of air. There were patches of red on her light coloured top where her wounds were turning the water crimson. Sam was certain she had torn her stitches and he couldn't understand what she was doing in the water, but there was no time to ponder that now. He kicked his legs behind him to get closer to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and allowed the other to linger over her chest, healing her as much as he could without causing suspicion and repairing her stitches.

Harris searched frantically for Paige. He surfaced for the fourth time, taking in huge gulps of air. He could hear sirens in the distance before he disappeared into the murky depths once again, determined to find her. Suddenly, he saw something glowing in the water ahead of him and he swam toward it. As he got closer, he realised his search was over. He recognised the Whitelighter as Paige's father and Sam likewise, remembered him. Knowing he wouldn't be able to explain his presence to any bystanders waiting above, Sam released his grip on her shoulder, pointing at Harris and then upward toward the surface. Her lifeless body floated up to greet Aidan, her hazel eyes wide open and staring at him as tendrils of auburn hair reached out to caress his cheek. He took hold of her under her arms and rose rapidly to the surface for the last time. Sam watched for a moment, praying silently that he had reached his daughter in time, and orbed out.

Aidan was out of breath as he swam towards the shore. He stood up when the water grew shallow and dragged Paige carefully out of the water, laying her gently on the ground. He dropped to his knees beside her.

"Oh God." The little girl's mother ran up to Harris, holding the child in her arms. "Is she going to be okay? She saved my daughter's life. This is all my fault, I should have been watching Rachel more carefully. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry…"

Harris blocked out the woman's voice as she continued to ramble, concentrating only on Paige. He tilted her head back, feeling for a pulse, but there was none, nor was she breathing.

* * *

Phoebe pulled into the parking lot of P3, which was empty except for Piper's jeep. She climbed out of her car and walked briskly toward the entrance to the club. She paused at the door, bracing herself for what was to come. It was unlocked and she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She tensed, expecting to feel Piper's rage, but was relieved to discover that although her sister was still angry, she seemed to have calmed down considerably.

"Piper?" She called into the darkness, but there was no reply. She allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim light before making her way down the stairs. She scanned the room in search of her sister, but there was no sign of her. Her gaze fell on several upturned chairs and a table lying on its side. As she approached the bar her eyes widened at the sight of broken glass scattered across the countertop and upon closer examination, she noticed droplets of blood.

Phoebe made her way urgently towards Piper's office but stopped abruptly, feeling slightly light-headed. She threw a hand to her forehead and leaned against the wall momentarily. "Oh no, Piper, you didn't." Phoebe moaned softly, swaying slightly as she approached the office door. She knocked lightly, and not bothering to wait for her sister to respond, she opened the door. Piper sat with her feet on the desk and her arms crossed. Her head was bowed and she didn't bother to look up when the door opened. Phoebe looked around her. There was stationary all over the floor, some of it singed. The desk had been completely cleared of its contents except for the computer monitor, which had been shoved to the side, and the keyboard appeared to be missing. What caught her attention though, was the half-empty whiskey bottle and shot glass next to Piper's feet. Phoebe couldn't believe her eyes, and it wasn't even noon yet. Her sister had stopped drinking when she had become pregnant with Chris and rarely drank before that. Piper had always been the sensible one in the family and Phoebe was bewildered by her current irrational behaviour.

Piper finally looked up, giving Phoebe a dark look and reached for the bottle, holding it up. "You wanna join me and Jack Daniels?"

Phoebe walked around the desk Piper's and took the bottle out of her hand just as she was about to pour it into the shot glasses and set it back on the desk. It was then that she noticed the cloth wrapped around Piper's thumb on her left hand and there was a patch of crimson where the blood had seeped through. She got down on her knees and took her sister's hand in hers with no resistance from Piper, gently removing the cloth in order to examine the wound. "You don't need Jack Daniels. You need first aid."

"Hey, do you mind? I'm drinking that!" Piper protested.

"Actually I do, and you've had enough." Phoebe responded bluntly. She opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a first aid kit. She set it on the floor and opened it to examine its contents, taking out some gauze. She took her sister's hand in hers once again in order to tend to the cut.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Without warning, Piper turned hostile and backhanded Phoebe, sending her crashing into the filing cabinet behind her.

Phoebe was too stunned to move and stared at her sister in shock.

_Oops! Hope you're not too'stunned' to review..._


	18. Chapter 18

_Wow! Thank you so much for the fantastic response to Chapter 17! I received a whopping 17 reviews, the most for a single chapter to date. Your support means a lot to me._

_I apologise for the long wait on this chapter. It wasr eally cruel to leave you all hanging like that but I got a little sidetracked with the World Cup. I'll warn you in advance this time that I'm still writing Chapter 19, so there could be a wait for that one as well. I didn't have the chance to respond to everyone who reviewed this time so I would like to say thank you to the following people for their comments: **dark-girl-faith-sidle, phoebelover4eva, Ally-617-luv-tv, Afw, Nan, dayz **and** katie. **If I have forgotten anyone, my apologies as it wasn't intentional. It was great to see new reviewers as well. _

_Well, let you all get on with reading this eagerly anticipated chapter. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 18**

"…11, 12, 13, 14, 15." Harris counted anxiously as he performed a series of chest compressions. He stopped to give Paige two breaths and then resumed the chest compressions. The wailing sirens were almost deafening as two ambulances approached accompanied by a police car, and then there was an abrupt silence as each vehicle ground to a halt near the scene. One set of paramedics scrambled towards Paige and questioned Harris rapidly, while the second tended to the little girl.

Paige's condition was quickly assessed and it wasn't long before they had a defibrillator set up beside her. "Clear!" The word echoed through Aidan's mind as she was jolted with an electric current that caused her body to arch upward violently and slam back down to the ground.

There was a moment of silence as the monitor continued to flatline and then it beeped as Paige's heart began to beat. Her eyelids fluttered and she coughed, spitting up a little water as one of the paramedics moved her into the recovery position. Aidan released a breath he didn't realise he had been holding and gave her a lopsided grin. Once her coughing subsided, an oxygen mask was applied to assist with her breathing.

"Is the little girl okay?" Paige mumbled softly, as she removed the mask from her mouth.

Harris shook his head in disbelief and replaced the mask over her mouth. Paige's first concern had been for the child, not giving herself a thought, not realising how close she had been to death once again. "She's fine, just more frightened than anything else." He looked over briefly at the young mother who held her daughter in her arms and couldn't help but feel a little incensed with her. If she had been watching her child properly in the first place he would be taking Paige home right now. The little girl was wrapped in a blanket and she sniffed quietly as one of the other paramedics checked her over. Turning his attention back to the injured Charmed One beside him, he began to lecture her. "Paige, what were you thinking? You shouldn't have gone in the water. I would've taken care of things myself." Realising that his exasperation was making his words harsher than he had intended, he spoke more gently. "You scared the crap out me. Phoebe's going to kill me, you know."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, I was just doing what comes naturally. And don't worry about Phoebe, I can handle her." Paige was getting a little out of breath again from the exertion of talking.

"Shh. Don't talk, just rest for now." Aidan soothed, replacing the oxygen mask that she had removed once again.

"Okay, Miss Halliwell, we're going to move you to a stretcher now," one of the paramedics announced.

"No, I don't want to go to the hospital again!" Paige protested. She tried to sit up, but didn't have the strength and she pulled her mask off when she began to cough.

"Are we going to have to _Crazy Glue_ this thing to your face?" Aidan questioned as he replaced the oxygen mask over her mouth and nose for the third time. "Just relax, Paige." Aidan continued to soothe. "Let the paramedics take care of you. You need to get checked out and it'll make me feel better if you do."

Paige knew he was right and allowed the paramedics to lift her onto the stretcher without argument. She shivered suddenly, only realising just now how cold she felt. One of the paramedics covered her with a blanket while the other secured her into the stretcher and the monitoring equipment was placed gently on top of her at her feet. Finally the safety bars were snapped into place and she was taken into the ambulance. Aidan, gingerly holding up the IV bag connected to a tube in her arm, climbed in beside the stretcher to accompany Paige to the hospital yet again.

Somewhere in the distance behind a clump of trees, invisible to anyone nearby, a soaked Whitelighter took in the scene before him with glazed eyes and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that his daughter had been revived. He ran his hand from his forehead down to his chin, wiping away the moisture on his face and the tears in his eyes. His index finger absently traced the contours of his nose, moved over his lips and finally came to rest on the cleft in his chin. He closed his eyes and released a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. When he opened his eyes again, he looked up gratefully at the heavens. He lingered until the ambulance carrying its precious cargo pulled away and orbed when it was out of sight.

* * *

"Phoebe!" Piper was jolted into a state of sudden sobriety by her own audacious behaviour and gasped. Although now apparently clear headed, her body still lacked co-ordination and when she dropped her legs to the floor she immediately fell out of her chair, her backside hitting the ground with a thud. "Ouch!" Uncertain as to whether or not she could actually stand, Piper decided to crawl to her sister on all fours, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.

Phoebe would have laughed at her big sister's slapstick antics if it hadn't been for the seriousness of the situation. Still dazed, she brought herself into a sitting position and leaned her back against the filing cabinet. She pulled out something lumpy from underneath her and realised it was the computer keyboard. It was blackened and melted around the edges. Numerous keys were missing and several more fell out as she tossed it aside. She rubbed her aching reddened cheek, opening and closing her mouth in an effort to loosen her jaw.

"Oh, Phoebe I'm so sorry. Oh god, I could have blown you up, I'm so sorry." Her voice trembled as she spoke. Piper moved Phoebe's hand away from her face and held it in her own as she assessed the damage she had caused. "I didn't mean to hurt you." She threw her arms around her baby sister and held her tightly.

Phoebe's eyes widened and she stiffened at her sister's touch. It was a clinging hug, Piper's fingers digging into her back, as if she were afraid she'd lose Phoebe forever if she didn't hold onto her tightly enough. It frightened Phoebe to see her sister this way, and at the same time she couldn't help but notice the irony of the situation. Usually she was the one who irritated her sisters with her smothering hugs. She made a mental note to herself to embrace them more gently in the future.

Under normal circumstances, she would have been very angry with Piper for attacking her, but as an empath who was currently channelling her sister's remorse and desperation, she felt only compassion and she wrapped her arms around her big sister. "It's okay Piper. I'm not going anywhere." They stayed locked in their embrace for a couple of minutes until Phoebe couldn't stand it any longer. "Uh, sweetie, you're cutting off my circulation."

"Oh. Sorry." Piper let go reluctantly, and as she did so, she noticed a spot of blood on the cabinet. The desk lamp, which lay on the floor on its side and was the only source of light in the room, illuminated the mark. "Oh no!" She probed the back of Phoebe's head with her hand. Her hair was matted with dried blood and Piper's fingers were stained red. "You're bleeding! I am so sorry!"

Piper reached for the first aid kit but Phoebe grabbed her by the arm to stop her. "Please stop saying you're sorry. I know you are and I'm okay." Phoebe let go to touch the back of her head and flinched. "Ow!"

Piper grabbed the first aid kit and took out some gauze. "Hold still." She commanded flatly, and dabbed gently at the wound on her sister's head.

Phoebe stared intently at her sister. "Piper, where did you find Leo?"

* * *

In the Underworld, a darklighter screamed in agony, his cries echoing through the dark caverns as the old alchemist recited an ancient spell. Beads of sweat formed on the darklighter's head and he shook violently, as the potion that had been poured directly over the darklighter's wound began to take affect, accelerating the growth of his arm. When the darklighter's arm was once again whole, he collapsed to the ground, his cries ceasing abruptly.

The alchemist shrugged. "I warned you." He reached down to feel for a pulse and smiled.

The darklighter was still alive.

* * *

Piper froze momentarily and then continued to dab at Phoebe's wound, avoiding her sister's question. "It's just a small gash. I think it's stopped bleeding now."

Phoebe hugged herself, digging her fingernails into the sides of her arms. She seethed with the anger that was beginning to build within her older sister once again. "Piper, you're hurting me!" She forced the words out through gritted teeth and grabbed her sister's arm suddenly to stop Piper from touching her again, holding it tightly.

Piper turned her head to look to at Phoebe. "Oh. I'm s-," she stopped herself, remembering that her sister had told her to quit apologising. "Did I touch you too roughly?" She questioned instead.

Phoebe shook her head. "No. I'm not talking about the cut on my head. I'm talking about your anger." She released her grip on her sister's arm. Piper let it fall to her side, dropping the gauze she had been holding, which landed soundlessly on the floor beside her. She leaned back on her heals and balled her fists tightly, her anger and pain reflecting in her narrowing eyes as she glared at her younger sister.

"He's in Sweden, would you believe it? And it gets worse. He speaks Swedish and doesn't even recognise his own family anymore!" Piper shouted. "How could _they_ do this to Leo and me, to our children? Why do they keep forcing us to go through these ordeals? Why us?" Her voice quivered as her pain began to overpower her anger. "Damn it!" Her anger threatened to take the upper hand once again. "Damn _them _toHell, they're all a bunch of f-"

"Careful what you say!" Phoebe interjected urgently. "Just calm down, sweetie. Oh god, calm down!" Phoebe pleaded frantically. She felt herself channelling Piper's powers once again and her right arm shot out. Both sisters ducked as she blasted a small hole through the wall on the opposite side of the room. Several posters burst into flame and fell to the ground.

Phoebe gripped both of Piper's arms tightly. "Piper look at me. Look at me!" She shook her sister gently until Piper's brown eyes finally focussed on hers. Phoebe broke into tears. "Please, I can't take this anymore. Your pain and your anger are so intense that I feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside. You have to pull yourself together. Please!" She pleaded. "I need my big sister."

Piper remained silent, absorbing the younger wiccan's words, taking in her expression of desperation and fear. Blinking back her own tears, she took several deep breaths. For a moment it looked like the distraught eldest Halliwell was actually beginning to calm down, but Phoebe's protuberant hazel eyes widened in horror as she realised that her big sister was about to erupt like a volcano, her rage even greater now than when Prue was killed. "NO!"

Piper closed her eyes, allowing her tears to roll freely down her cheeks and she continued to clench and unclench her fists. Suddenly, she lost control and shrieked like a banshee, unleashing her powers without even raising her hands, causing several consecutive explosions throughout the room. A picture frame crashed to the ground and was quickly coated with the embers of more burning posters. A filing cabinet tipped over as it was blasted, landing on top of the computer monitor, shattering the screen and spraying glass across the surface of the desk. The hard drive, which was placed under the desk fell over on its side from the impact and cracked, jamming the CDRW drive into the open position. The whiskey bottle wobbled and tipped over, spilling the golden liquid, which made splashing sounds as it hit the floor, the stench of it filling the room. Phoebe held her breath. The last thing they needed right now was for the alcohol to burst into flame.

The oldest sister continued to blast away her anger. She was furious with the Elders for taking her husband away from her, furious at the prospect of having to raise two children on her own, furious that she was destined to never have the normal, happy life that she craved.

Phoebe was bent over, elbows and knees on the floor as she held her hands protectively over her head, but Piper, too consumed with her own pain, seemed oblivious to the emotion overload she was inflicting on her sister. Phoebe was in such agony that she began to shriek in unison with her sister and together they sang a tormented duet.

"Stop!" Phoebe's voice was barely audible over the sound of chaos. Unable to take any more she tried again. This time, gathering what little energy she had left, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "STOP! YOU'RE KILLING ME!"

The sound of Phoebe's desperate, hysterical voice brought Piper crashing back to reality. Her outburst ceased as abruptly as it had begun, leaving both sisters still shaking and breathing heavily. Phoebe felt woozy and sick to her stomach. She raised herself slowly, leaning forward on the palms of both hands and looked up at her sister, who was still in a kneeling position, her hands dangling at her sides, her forehead beaded with sweat. Completely spent, Piper collapsed and whimpered as her chin hit the ground. Phoebe tried desperately not to pass out herself, but she was fighting a losing battle and she toppled over on her side, landing on the floor with a thud. She managed to mumble her sister's name softly before she succumbed to the black void. Phoebe's cell phone suddenly tumbled out of the bag that she had thrown on the two-seater sofa earlier, and did a little dance on the floor as it vibrated. Its ring tone shattered the silence as it continued its desperate dance, but it remained unheard and unanswered.

* * *

On the floor of the alchemist's lair, a delighted darklighter sat up and examined his new arm, bending it up and down. He swivelled his wrist, wiggled his fingers and balled them into a fist, open and closing it several times. He smiled, pleased with the old alchemist's work.

"Well, now that I'm whole again, I need to talk to a Seer about a couple of witches." He disappeared in a flurry of dark orbs without even bothering to thank the alchemist.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners, stupid ungrateful fool," the old man muttered under his breath.

* * *

Phoebe was the first to come around, minutes later. She remained still, allowing her vision to come into focus first. Miraculously, the little desk lamp had escaped damage, and it shone on Piper's pale features like a spotlight. Phoebe thought that the effect was eerie, and she grunted softly as she lifted herself off of the ground, crawling toward her big sister. It felt like someone was taking a jackhammer to her head, but she forced herself to ignore the pain. "Piper!" She was trembling as she rolled Piper onto her back and she brushed away a strand of damp hair that was sticking to her sister's cheek, eyeing the small gash on her forehead above her right brow, probably from flying debris. She shook her gently. "Come on sweetie, wake up." Piper moaned quietly, but her eyes stayed closed. Phoebe held her sister's hand and ran her fingers soothingly through Piper's chestnut hair.

It was at this moment that Sam appeared, his orbs briefly lighting up the room. Waving his hand in front of himself, he surveyed the damage around him and took in the state of the women before him. "What the hell happened?" He asked the conscious Charmed One.

"Sam? What are you doing here?" Phoebe questioned in return. "And where have you been?" She added with a hint of irritation in her voice. She coughed from the dust and smoke in the air. Her throat felt rough and dry.

Sam grabbed the extinguisher near the door and used it to douse some still burning embers in a corner of the room. He sprayed it over the remnants of the PC monitor as it continued to spark. When he was finished he set it down and made his way to the girls, kneeling beside Piper. "Well, I'm here now and that's all that the matters." He answered Phoebe's question simply. He noticed the strong smell of alcohol on Piper's breath immediately as he lifted her still unconscious form into his arms and stood upright. "Can you walk?"

Phoebe nodded her head in response, still coughing and stood up on unsteady legs, leaning her arm momentarily on Sam's shoulder to get her balance.

"Where's the nearest exit?" Sam questioned.

"Follow me." Phoebe coughed again and stumbled a little as she led them out of the office and through the back door into the alley behind the club.

Sam laid Piper gently on the ground and watched as Phoebe hunched over, caught in the grip of a coughing fit. His hand glowed as he held it over the gash on Piper's forehead. He then proceeded to heal the deep cut on her hand. Turning his attention back to Phoebe, who knelt beside her sister once again, he let his hand linger over the wound which he had noticed on the back of her head when they walked into the alley. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Phoebe shook her head, wiping a tear from her eye with one hand while she held onto Piper's hand with the other. She still had a headache, but it had been reduced to a dull pounding now. "Will she be okay?" she questioned.

Sam nodded. "I can heal her physical wounds, but not her emotional pain. That's going to take time and you might want to tell her that booze is no miracle cure. Take it from an expert. So, what happened?" he persisted gently.

Phoebe pursed her lips together and moistened them with her tongue and then looking Sam directly in the eyes, she answered. "Piper found Leo, with Wyatt's help."

"Oh. But that's good, isn't it? At least she knows where he is now." Sam answered hopefully.

Phoebe shook her head again. "He's in Sweden. He speaks Swedish. He didn't recognise his wife or his son. Piper flipped. When she got back I intercepted her powers and blew up the kitchen. Then she ran off to P3 and took up with Jack Daniels. I found her in the office and I tried to help her but she just completely lost it and obliterated the place without even using her hands. I've never seen her this upset before. I don't know what to do."

Sam noticed that Phoebe was shivering despite the fact that it was warm and the sun was blazing down on them. He sympathised with her. "_They're _very rigid up there. They can be mean bastards sometimes but they believe in what they're doing." He remarked, closing an eye, as he looked heavenward.

Phoebe was shocked to hear such a comment coming from a whitelighter and was stunned into silence.

"What?" Sam questioned. "I'm not exactly their biggest fan either."

Both witch and whitelighter remained quiet for a moment, turning their attention to Piper, who still showed no sign of waking up. "So, thanks for your help, but why are you here anyway?"

Sam sighed heavily. He really didn't want to burden Phoebe with any more problems, but there was no way around it. "It's Paige. She's in the hospital again."

"What!" Phoebe panicked. "Wh…What happened? Is she okay? Where's Aidan?"

Sam explained to her what had happened at the park and how Paige had saved a little girl from drowning and nearly drowned herself.

Phoebe held her head in her hands in despair. "Can this day get any worse?"

Sam put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to console her. "She's okay. Aidan's with her."

"Well, he should have stopped her!" Phoebe fumed.

"Phoebe, don't blame him. You know as well as I do that it's in her nature to save innocents, whatever the cost."

Phoebe sighed, swallowing her anger. She'd had enough of that particular emotion for one day. In fact, she'd had enough of emotions, period. "I should go to the hospital. Can you orb Piper back to the manor? My Dad is there and he can take care of her until I get back."

Sam gulped. "Your Dad? Uh, I don't really think-"

"Please, he'll understand. I really need your help." Phoebe cut him off.

"I'm not exactly his favourite person." He protested. The look of desperation in Phoebe's eyes made him capitulate. "Okay, I'll take her home. Just take care of Paige for me."

Phoebe smiled weakly. "I will. Thanks." She watched as Sam lifted Piper into his arms and put a hand on his shoulder just as he was about to go. "Oh, and if she needs a doctor, tell Dad to call Dr. Nicolae. Her number is in Piper's address book by the phone in the kitchen."

Sam nodded and orbed out. Phoebe sighed once they were gone and made her way back into the club in search of her cell phone. She would have to call Piper's assistant manager before she left for the hospital. She didn't think Piper would want anyone to see the club in its current state and she didn't think it was safe either.

She retrieved her bag from the office and found her cell phone on the floor and went out to the bar, scrolling through her address book as she walked. She sighed as she realised she hadn't yet programmed the new assistant manager's number into her phone and plopped herself down on one of the barstools, slapping her phone down on the counter in front of her. She spotted Piper's bag beside the till and reached over for it. She fished through its contents until she found Piper's cell and she scrolled through her address book, stopping at the name 'Ryan.' She pushed the send button and it rang a couple of times before it was answered. She explained that Piper's computer was faulty and caused a small fire in the office, which wasn't far from the truth. She just left out the part about Piper blowing it up. She asked him to contact the other members of staff and let them know that the club would be closed for the next couple of days. He asked about Piper and Phoebe told him she was a little shaken up but otherwise fine. She ended the call by saying she would keep him posted.

Phoebe placed her sister's cell beside her own after she had completed the call. Leaning her chin on the palm of her left hand, she twirled the phone idly with her right hand and sighed heavily. She wanted more than anything to run home and hide under her bedcovers. One word escaped her lips. It was soft, almost inaudible.

"Prue."


	19. Chapter 19

_Firstly, I'd like to apologise for making you all wait so long for this chapter, but there's this thing called life that keeps sidetracking me. Secondly, thank you so much for all your reviews. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to replying to every review like I usually do and for that I am sorry too, but I really doappreciate your feedback. I hope this chapter doesn't seem too dry to you but I thought you could you use a bit of a break from all turbulence and the cliffhangers in previous chapters._

_Finally, a special thanks once again to Swedish Mystery for providing assistance with the accuracy of the 'Swedish' bits of the chapter. _

**Chapter 19**

Leo had just finished his shift at the café. His boss Anders, had invited him to a Midsummer weekend party at his cottage on Grinda, one of the many islands that make up the Stockholm Archipelago, but Leo had declined, choosing to roam the streets of Stockholm itself instead. Midsummer, the longest day of the year, where the skies never really grew dark, was a big event in Sweden. People all across the country celebrated around the Maypole, decorated with flowers, leaves and green boughs, dancing, singing, eating 'surströmming' and drinking 'snaps.' The festivities usually continued right through the light summer night. Leo wasn't in the mood for partying, nor did he have an appetite for pickled herring, the traditional Midsummer dish. He didn't even know if he actually liked fish, nor could he remember ever celebrating the holiday.

Just a few weeks ago Leo had been hit by a car. Anders, a man in his in his mid forties, was the driver and he had failed to see the sandy blonde haired man crossing the intersection in time. Leo had woken up in the hospital with a mild concussion and a case of amnesia. Anders felt responsible for Leo's memory loss and tried to help him as much as he could. He visited Leo in the hospital and found a place for him to stay when he was released. Needing extra help at the café, he gave Leo a job. He even gave Leo a name, and everyone at the café called him Erik for now, at least until Leo could remember his real name.

Leo wandered along the cobble-stoned streets and narrow lanes of Gamla Stan, a suburb of Stockholm, with no particular destination. He stepped aside as a giggling and somewhat tipsy couple dressed in traditional costumes stumbled past him. They were probably heading to the folk dance at Skansen, one of the oldest open-air museums in the world consisting of around 150 historical buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, moved from almost every part of the country. The Midsummer festivities lasted for three days there.

Skansen was nearby and Leo could hear the fiddle music in the distance. He walked a little further and sat down on a bench. He couldn't stop thinking about the woman he'd bumped into at the café with the long dark brown hair and fiery, yet sad hazel eyes. Somehow there was a connection between the two of them, a link to his past. He had run out after her but she had seemingly disappeared into thin air. Why did she run away? He couldn't understand. Leo was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a woman's voice.

"May I sit down for a moment?" She asked.

"Whatever." Leo answered flatly. If not for his amnesia, Leo would have recognised the woman who sat down next to him as an Elder. She was dressed in traditional folk costume much like the other woman he had seen earlier.

"I'm meeting a friend near here and we're going to Skansen." The woman let out a sigh before continuing. "It's a lovely evening isn't it?"

Leo answered with a shrug and the two of them sat in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes before the woman spoke again.

"My name's Frederika." She extended her hand and Leo shook it lightly.

"I don't know my name but you can call me Erik. Everyone does."

Frederika raised her eyebrows in confusion.

Leo shrugged his shoulders again. "I was hit by a car couple of weeks ago. I lost my memory."

Frederika fidgeted a little, and feigned surprise. "Oh, that's awful. I'm sorry to hear that. So you don't know who you are or where you come from?" The concern in her voice was genuine. She considered Leo a friend and she had strongly disagreed with the other Elders on the decision to take him away from his family. It was wrong for Leo to kill a fellow Elder, but they could have been more compassionate. Gideon attacked his both of his sons and killed adult Chris. She only wished that Leo would have come to her and the other Elders instead of taking matters into his own hands. "You're not alone I hope," she added.

Leo shook his head. "I have made friends here and they've helped me a lot, one in particular. I'd really be lost otherwise."

Frederika smiled. "You should be with your friends and celebrate with them."

Leo shook his head again. "Midsummer means nothing to me. I have no memory of it. I have no memory of this place. Nothing is familiar here. I'm sorry, I'm not very good company, I should go."

He stood and was about to leave when Frederika pulled at his shirtsleeve to stop him. "No, wait! I should go. I'm the one who imposed on you. I'm sorry. If you believe that you'll get your memory back, you will. Take care Erik." She waived as she left and made her way around the corner and hid behind a bush where she could orb out unseen.

Leo watched her until she was out of his line of vision and quickly forgot about her as thoughts of the chestnut haired woman with the fiery eyes filled his mind once again. He looked up at the sky. The sun was going down, but it wasn't dark. Leo chose not to sit back down on the bench, deciding instead to resume his journey to nowhere.

* * *

Phoebe found Paige and Dr. Phillips engaged in a heated argument as she entered the trauma room and halted abruptly. The doctor held both of Paige's arms in a strong grip as she struggled to get up.

"Paige, if you don't lie back down on that damn gurney, I'll have you strapped down!" Both Doctor and patient had their eyes locked on each other, both glaring angrily. "I'm SERIOUS. Your heart stopped because you very nearly drowned today and you're still recovering from a blunt trauma injury to your lung, not to mention you're running a temperature at the moment. You're not going anywhere. At least not today, or tomorrow for that matter if I have my way. Now, if I let go, will you promise not to bolt on me?"

"And if you try, I won't stop the doctor from restraining you." Phoebe added bluntly.

Paige let out a simultaneous growl and a sigh as she nodded reluctantly in agreement. She suppressed the urge to orb and fumed silently instead. Phoebe grimaced.

Dr. Phillips slowly let go of her rebellious patient and took a step back watching carefully as Paige laid down on the gurney. "Look, I know you don't like it here, but as soon as we have a bed available we'll move you up to a room of your own where you'll be more comfortable, okay?" Paige rolled her eyes as the doctor replaced the oxygen tubes that she had thrown aside earlier around her ears and into her nose.

The doctor turned to face Phoebe. "She's not exactly the most co-operative patient I've treated. It's nice to see you again, although I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Hello Dr. Phillips. I'm sorry you've had so much trouble with Paige. She hates hospitals and she can't sit still. She prefers to keep busy. How is she, apart from cranky that is?"

"Hello! Stop talking about me like I'm not in the room! I'm right h-" Paige cut herself off with her own coughing and her face turned pink from the exertion.

Dr. Phillips rushed to her side and helped Paige to sit upright, who indicated between coughs that she wanted some water. "See, now that is why I don't want you going anywhere." The doctor motioned to Phoebe to hold onto her sister while she went to get some water.

"Easy sweetie, easy." Phoebe spoke gently. She leaned on the edge of the gurney resting one hand on Paige's shoulder while she rubbed her back with the other. "I know you couldn't help yourself, you're a Charmed One, but I really wish you would've let Aidan save that little girl."

"Did you talk to Aidan?" Paige's coughing was beginning to subside.

"Uh huh."

"You didn't get angry with him, did you?"

"Uh huh."

"Phoebe!"

"What? I am the big sister here. I was angry to start with because he said he'd take care of you, but then I realised he did, and I thanked him."

Dr. Phillips returned holding a plastic cup in her hand filled with water and passed it to Paige who drank from it gratefully. "Good news, we have a room and a bed for you Paige. You'll be going up in a few minutes."

Phoebe smiled at Paige who simply nodded while sipping her water.

* * *

Victor was feeling edgy after everything that had happened so far and he was worried about his daughters. He had decided to keep himself busy by cleaning up what was left of the kitchen table and boarding up the window - pane on the back door. When he had finished that task he put his grandsons down for their nap and then attempted to distract himself with the newspaper and a cup of coffee in the living room.

It was no surprise that Victor nearly hit the roof when Sam orbed in carrying Piper in his arms. The newspaper he was reading flew through air, separating the pages, which scattered all over the floor as they landed, like fallen leaves from a tree. His face turned crimson when he recognised the whitelighter, and his tendency to overreact kicked in. "What the hell are YOU doing here and what the HELL did you do to my daughter!" If it wasn't for the precious cargo Sam was holding in his arms, Victor probably would have decked the man by now.

Sam moved to the sofa and laid the unconscious wiccan gently on the cushions. "I didn't do anything to her, Victor. Phoebe asked me to take her home. She blew a fuse and obliterated her office in an alcohol - induced rage. Phoebe said to call Dr. Ava Nicolae if you need to. Her number is in the kitchen."

Much to his surprise and Sam's, Victor stayed frozen in his spot, staring coldly at his late ex-wife's whitelighter. "Where's Phoebe?" His voice seethed with resentment.

Sam swallowed, his Adams apple bobbing up and down. "She's at the hospital with Paige. There was an incident in the park and Paige nearly drowned saving a little girl who fell into the lake." He rubbed his palms together nervously. "Uh, I'm sorry. I know this is awkward for you, so I'll just g-"

Victor couldn't control himself any longer and he lunged at the whitelighter, his fist connecting with Sam's right eye. The impact sent Sam flying backward into a lamp which tipped over, and he fell on top of it, stunned. Victor pulled him up roughly by his collar and Sam offered no resistance. As far as he was concerned the man had a lot of pent up anger inside him and he needed to vent. The next punch landed on the whitelighter's nose and sent him flying into a bookshelf. Sam crumpled to the floor and held a hand over his nose in an attempt to stop the blood that was gushing out. He ducked the next blow and Victor yelped as his fist hit the hard wooden shelf instead. He tried to shake the pain out of his arm and balled his hand into a fist once more. He was about to clock Sam again, but he froze at the sound of Piper's soft voice. It was barely audible but loud enough to bring him back to his senses.

"Dad, please stop."

His fist loomed menacingly over the whitelighter's face. "Thanks for bringing Piper back. Now, get out of here before I change my mind, marriage wrecker!" He spat the words out between gritted teeth.

Sam didn't hang around to argue.

* * *

Phoebe stood at the hospital room door and out of the way of the medical personnel as they situated her sister. She watched with concern as Paige moved slowly from the gurney to the bed. She was obviously not feeling as well as she had led everyone to believe earlier. Phoebe stiffened and gasped softly, feeling Paige's aches and pains.

"Phoebe, you don't have to stay here, you know. I'll be okay." Paige grunted slightly as she tried to situate herself more comfortably while being poked, prodded and attached to bits of equipment by the staff.

The middle sister looked down at her shoes. She had been putting off calling her dad and the last thing she wanted to do right now was go back to the manor. She loved Piper with all her heart but she just couldn't face her right now. Phoebe needed a little time to recover first and she felt somewhat ashamed of herself as she realised that she wanted Paige's support at a time when she should be the one supporting Paige.

Paige didn't need to be an empath to know that something was not quite right with her big sister and she gave Phoebe one of her 'What's up?' looks.

Phoebe raised her eyebrows in response and held her breath. Her eyes narrowed as she exhaled. She entered the room once it was empty except for the patient and the doctor and approached Paige's bedside, reaching out to tuck a stray hair behind her sister's ear. She was jolted slightly when her younger sister swatted her hand, having been assaulted by one sister already, but she shrugged it off, realising that it wasn't meant as a hostile gesture. Nevertheless, it didn't go unnoticed by Dr. Phillips who had turned around just in time to see it after briefly studying the monitor. She gave her patient a warning glare, and her patient glared back in return.

"It's okay, Doctor. Paige just doesn't like being fussed over." Phoebe explained. "How is she?"

"Well, she is one very lucky young woman. Frankly, I'm surprised Paige didn't injure herself more seriously. I was expecting to see torn stitches and to have to repair some damage, but her wounds seem fine." Dr. Phillips explained.

Phoebe pursed her lips and remained silent, exchanging glances with Paige, who didn't know yet that her father had come to her rescue once again. Aidan had filled her in on what had happened under the water, but she couldn't exactly tell the doctor that her sister had been healed by an angel. She feared that Dr. Phillips would have her committed to the psychiatric ward immediately.

"What concerns me though, is your temperature." Dr. Phillips continued, looking straight at her patient. "Due to your pre-existing injury, you are at a greater risk of developing a lung infection. This is why it is so important to keep you here under observation. I'll leave you both alone now and check up on you later Paige."

Paige's eyes followed the doctor as she walked across the room and out the door. "Okay, Phoebe, spill." She sat up straight and crossed her arms expectantly.

Realising she could no longer stall the inevitable, Phoebe took in another breath and exhaled slowly as she sat on the edge of the bed. She pursed her lips and looked into her sister's eyes. She told Paige about Piper's meltdown at the club, the resulting office destruction and Sam's appearance. She also explained that he had come to Paige's rescue first, having sensed her in distress. There was a moment of silence when Phoebe had finished as the younger of the two absorbed the information. The middle sister's eyes welled with tears that refused to fall.

Taking note of this, Paige stretched her arms out to her sister and Phoebe gratefully accepted her hug. Paige often felt like she was the older of the two and after everything Phoebe had been through, especially with Cole, she was protective of her. The bond Paige shared with Piper was different because she had Leo and she had her children. Phoebe, however, was on her own, afraid to love again. Paige rocked her sister gently, hearing a soft moan and a barely audible sniffle. She was aware that leading the family was a heavy burden that Phoebe was not used to carrying. Paige hated that she and Piper had put her in this situation, but she refused to feel guilty about it, at least not right now. Phoebe needed time to feel her own emotions instead of everyone else's. "I think you're doing an incredible job taking care of your sisters."

Phoebe's smiled and she laughed nervously, her chin quivering slightly as it rested on her sister's shoulder. "Who's supporting whom right now, huh?"

Paige cracked a smile herself. "Well, you need a little support sometimes too. We can't expect you to be Wonder Woman all the time." She finished with a soft giggle and her sister giggled in return.


	20. Chapter 20

_I think I managed to reply to everyone's reviews this time. I think. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and keep the reviews coming.. _

_Welcome back _**Patrica L Bryans**_._ _I hope you had a good holiday. _

**Chapter 20**

"Piper?" Victor rushed to his daughter's side. "Are you okay?"

Piper's eyes welled with tears that spilled onto her cheeks as she sat up. She wiped at her swollen eyes with the back of her hand. She brought her knees to her chin and hugged her legs, rocking gently back and forth. She remained silent.

Sitting on the edge of the couch, he lifted his daughter's chin with his fingers so that he could gaze into her eyes, but she looked away. "Piper, sweetheart, please talk to me." Victor persisted. She reeked of alcohol but her father chose not to comment, not wanting to upset her even more than she already was. Not knowing what else to do, Victor wrapped his arms around his daughter and kissed the top of her head. He hated seeing her in such pain and felt completely helpless. Piper didn't return his embrace, but stayed limp in his arms, and Victor felt like he was hugging a statue. He released her and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. He made another attempt to get her to speak. "Sweetheart, wanna tell me what happened?" Piper was unresponsive, and continued to rock herself.

Victor thought that if he talked about something different, it might bring her out of her catatonic state. "The boys are fine. They're taking their nap now. I cleaned up the mess in the kitchen. Hey, you needed a new table anyway." He cleared his throat nervously and continued, deciding to go for the shock tactic. "Phoebe's at the hospital with Paige, who got into a little trouble while saving a little girl from drowning. Apparently she's okay though."

Piper still didn't respond. Victor frowned and sighed as he rose from the couch. He had been so sure that she would react to one of her sisters being hurt, but Piper was too far gone for him to reach her. "I'll be right back, sweetheart. I'll get you some water." He walked toward the kitchen in search of his daughter's address book and the phone.

Piper had barely registered her father's words. She was drowning in sorrow, shame and guilt. She had hurt one sister, ignored the other, and neglected her children, all because of a man she loved more than life itself. She was so lost now she didn't know how to find her way back, didn't know if she wanted to. Numbness was now overriding the rest of her emotions and she liked the way it felt. Nothing was good. She let it embrace her, her father's voice growing more and more distant until it was completely muted, only to be replaced by another voice that she thought was her own.

"_You're a failure and a drunk, Piper. You're not fit to be a sister, a mother, or a wife. You're a lousy, whiney, witch who can't even control her powers. The Elders knew that. That's why they took Leo away from you. You'll never get him back. You're losing it, Piper. Retreat to your own little world where you can't hurt anyone else but yourself." _

The darklighter made himself temporarily visible and looked down at the distraught witch from behind, smiling. She was too far gone to notice him. He had gained a wealth of information about the Charmed Ones from the seer and he was using it to his advantage. The current situation allowed him to implement his plan immediately, which suited his impatient nature. With his task here complete for the moment and another job to do elsewhere, he left Piper to stew in her insanity. His dark orbs clouded the air momentarily and vanished.

* * *

Paige had finally succumbed to her exhaustion and Phoebe watched at her bedside as she slept. The middle sister was still procrastinating over going home. She smiled at her slumbering sister. If it hadn't been for Paige's support, Phoebe probably would have admitted herself to the psychiatric ward. Her head slumped and she slouched a little in her chair as she began to doze off. _A little nap before I go home will do me good, _she thought to herself. A nurse had quietly come and gone to change the bag on Paige's drip without either of them noticing. The only other sound in the room was the beeping heart monitor and the occasional soft hiss of the blood pressure cuff on the patient's arm as it deflated after taking automated readings.

The darklighter appeared silently, his orbs hidden in the shadows of the room. He was pleased to see that the blind on the window was closed. He studied the slumbering witches and smiled. "Perfect," he mumbled to himself. A crossbow appeared in his hands and he aimed it at the middle Charmed One. The poison wouldn't kill her but it would still injure her enough so that he could take Paige with little or no resistance. However, the darklighter wasn't expecting the bedside table parked behind him to suddenly change into a man and knock the crossbow from his hands as his fist connected with his face.

The clattering sound the crossbow made as it hit the ground and the grunts of the two struggling men jolted Phoebe out of her slumber. "What the…Aidan!" Phoebe stood bolt upright and ran toward the darklighter. He had Aidan pinned to the ground with his hands wrapped tightly around the inspector's throat. Aidan likewise, had his hands wrapped around his rival's throat but his grip was weakening. Aidan's face had begun to discolour as Phoebe crept up behind the darklighter and applied a simple, but hard kick between his legs. He lost his hold on the inspector and howled in agony. He fell over on his side, curling into a foetal position, clutching his privates. He muttered several expletives as Aidan reached for the crossbow and cracked it over his skull. The darklighter screamed again but remained conscious and several more expletives escaped between his lips as he orbed out, still holding his hands over his crotch.

Phoebe helped Aidan to sit up. "Are you okay?"

The inspector coughed. "I'm fine, thanks to you," he answered.

"No, thank YOU, Aidan." Phoebe corrected. "God knows what would have happened if you hadn't been here. I didn't even hear you come in."

"You wouldn't have. I was watching over you both while you slept, as uh, a table." Aidan explained.

Phoebe nodded. "Oh. I see." She didn't know how she felt about that but said nothing. On the one hand she was grateful that he had been there, but on the other hand it was kind of creepy. Leo used to watch over them all the time as their whitelighter, but not as a piece of furniture. She shrugged her shoulders and decided to just accept it. She turned to see that Paige was awake and as pale as the sheets she was lying between. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She sat on the edge of the bed and held her sister's trembling hand.

"T-That was him. He was here. I-" Paige stuttered, looking from Phoebe to Aidan and back at her sister again. She coughed and tried to catch her breath.

"Shh…it's okay, honey, I'm not going to let anything happen to you – WE'RE not going to let anything happen to you okay?" Phoebe looked at Aidan and then at her sister as she rubbed her back to soothe her. "Listen, I should go home and check on Piper. Aidan, can you stay with Paige for a while?"

The inspector smiled. "Of course I will. I don't think that darklighter will be back again today, though. I'm glad you kicked him and not me, Phoebe."

Phoebe snickered and Paige managed a smile. "Thanks Aidan. I'll be back later, okay?"

Paige narrowed her eyes. "If he comes back, I'll orb his family jewels to another planet." Phoebe laughed at this and hugged her sister.

Aidan cringed at the thought and eyed Paige. "Remind me never to make you angry."

* * *

Phoebe stood at the front door of the manor and put her key in the lock. She hesitated before turning it, not knowing if she had the strength for what she had to face inside. Well, she couldn't exactly stand at the door forever, either. She inhaled deeply and exhaled noisily, opening the door and removing her key from the lock. She could hear voices speaking softly and followed the sound into the kitchen, dropping her purse on the counter.

Victor and Ava ceased their conversation abruptly when they saw the middle Halliwell enter the room and they turned to face her.

Phoebe registered the looks of grave concern in both of their faces and her heart skipped a beat. "What's going on? Where's Piper?"

"She's upstairs, resting. Dr. Nicolae gave her a sedative."

"And?" Phoebe persisted urgently.

Ava laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and spoke gently. "Phoebe, your sister appears to be suffering from catatonia. She's in a stupor or apathetic state in which she is either oblivious or not responding to external stimuli. She can't or won't make eye contact and she's not talking. I've agreed with your father to let her stay here where's she's most comfortable for the next couple of days, but if she doesn't snap out of it by then, she's going to have to be taken into psychiatric care." She noted Phoebe's shocked expression. "I'm sorry. I know you're going through a lot right now."

Phoebe was too stunned to speak. She knew that Piper had issues, but not like this.

Ava stepped back so that Victor could hug his daughter. He held her in silence, allowing her a few moments to digest what she had just been told and then he let go, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Phoebe, you're not alone, okay. I'm going to stay right here if that's all right with you. I'll help your take care of Piper and the boys. We'll get through this. You'll see."

Phoebe looked at her father with confusion in her eyes. "Wh-What? Catatonic? How? I don't understand."

"I don't either," Victor sympathised.

"It is a little unusual. Sometimes people who have experienced a severe trauma of some sort can fall into a catatonic state and while Piper's circumstances have been difficult, she's a strong person." Ava offered. "But whatever Piper experienced today traumatised her enough to cause her to shut herself off from the outside world. She can't cope anymore."

Phoebe nodded, biting her lower lip. Her eyes welled with fresh tears and she blinked them back.

"Piper needs to be watched while she's like this, in case she tries to harm herself or others, which I think is unlikely. I'm more concerned that she might try to hurt herself. I've prescribed something to keep her calm." Ava pointed to the plastic pill container on the counter. "They can be dissolved in the mouth. The instructions are on the label." Then she picked up the syringe that was lying beside it and showed it to Phoebe. "Use this if you need to sedate Piper in a hurry. Keep both of these medications out of Piper's reach and you'll need to administer them to her yourself, obviously." Now that she had told Phoebe everything she needed to know about Piper's condition, Ava decided to change the subject. "I heard about Paige. How is she?"

Phoebe felt dazed but she managed to answer Ava's question. "She's okay, but Dr. Phillips is concerned that she could develop a lung infection and she's keeping Paige in for observation."

"Your sister is in good care with Dr. Phillips." Ava reassured her.

"I know. She's been good to Paige." Phoebe answered.

Ava looked from Victor to Phoebe. "I should leave you both alone now, but I'll be back tomorrow to check on Piper." She took Phoebe's hand in both of hers. "If you need anything, day or night, call me. You have my number."

Phoebe offered a feeble but sincere smile. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

Ava gave Phoebe a sympathetic smile in return. She grabbed her bag from the counter and let Victor lead her to the front door.

Phoebe followed them through the kitchen and made her way to the stairs. She rested her hand on the heavy wooden banister and let it guide her up the stairs. It seemed to take all of her strength to lift her feet from one step to the next and she stopped to catch her breath as she reached the top. She looked down the dark hallway towards Piper's room. The door was slightly ajar and she approached it slowly. The manor fell silent after Victor had closed the front door behind Ava, and the wooden floor creaked softly beneath Phoebe's feet. She could hear the wind whistling outside and the sound of branches tapping on windows. It was so quiet she could hear her own heart pounding inside her chest. It was too quiet.

* * *

"Ow!" the darklighter flinched as the alchemist dabbed at the wound on his forehead.

"Oh, stop moaning. Are you a darklighter or a wimp?"

"Shut up old man!" the darklighter threatened.

The alchemist raised an eyebrow but chose to ignore the darklighter's comments. "I can heal the wound on your forehead but this will just have to do for your," the alchemist cleared his throat, "…other injury." He tossed an ice pack onto the darklighter's lap, making him flinch again. The darklighter growled but held the pack in place where it had fallen. "What went wrong this time?" The alchemist continued, rolling his eyes.

"If it wasn't for that damn shape shifter I would have had them!" The darklighter complained angrily.

"Shape shifter?" The alchemist questioned.

"Yes, in Paige's room at the hospital. I discovered that she had another accident today." The darklighter fidgeted with discomfort. "One minute I was standing next to a table and the next thing I know, it's gone and there's this guy in its place who slams his fist in my face!"

"You're lucky to be alive. You acted too hastily."

"I had to. They're vulnerable right now. It's an ideal time to strike, which is why I need to try again as soon as possible while there's still only one witch standing. I've driven the oldest sister over the edge."

"I think you're mad to take on the Charmed Ones for the sake of a grudge you've be holding against the youngest all these years, but who am I to argue." The alchemist commented.

The darklighter flinched as the as the old alchemist roughly applied an herbal healing salve to his wound, and hissed. "You won't, if you know what's good for you, old man."

* * *

When she reached the doorway to Piper's bedroom, Phoebe hesitated, leaning her hand on the doorknob and turned it absent-mindedly with her fingers. She turned her head away and the muscles in her cheeks flexed as she prepared herself to enter the room. She pushed the door open a little further, leaving a gap that was just wide enough for her to pass through. She forced herself to look straight at her sister, and she froze on the spot, staring. Piper lay on her bed fully clothed, a blanket once crocheted by their grandmother covering her still form, her hands resting idly on top. Her eyes were half open. "Piper?" The younger sister questioned uncertainly.

Piper remained silent, oblivious to her sister's presence in the room. What startled Phoebe even more was that she felt nothing from her older sister, no emotion whatsoever. "Piper, it's me, Phoebe. Can you hear me?" She tried again. Piper was physically in front of her, yet she wasn't there at all. Phoebe cocked her head a little to the side in thought. Prue had looked almost the same way when she used to astral project, her body dormant until her soul had returned.

Phoebe walked over to the dresser, and pulled out a pair of pyjamas, deciding she should try to make her sister feel more comfortable. She headed back to Piper's bedside and sat down beside her. She took her sister's hand in her own and gave it a little squeeze. "Sweetie, I'm going to help you change into your pyjamas okay? I've got your favourite pair. You love these," she said, holding them out for Piper to see and then she dropped them on the bed as she realised her sister wasn't seeing anything. Phoebe unbuttoned Piper's blouse carefully with shaky fingers. It was unnerving seeing her big sister in this state, needing to be helped this way, not to mention awkward. Piper didn't move, or object or even flinch in the slightest.

Then she propped Piper up, tossing the blanket aside and held her with one hand while using the other to finish undressing her and put on her pyjama top. Phoebe wrapped her arm around her sister to lift her slightly so that she could remove her jeans and pull on her pyjama bottoms. She was like a rag doll in Phoebe's arms. Phoebe had been the baby of the family and other people had taken care of her, but she never had to take care of her sisters the way she was taking care of Piper right now.

The whole situation was unreal and Phoebe found herself wishing this was all just a bad dream and she would wake up to find that everything was okay. But she knew it wasn't a dream. It was horrifyingly real. She laid Piper back down gently on her pillow and tucked Piper in beneath her duvet and held onto her hand. "There, now, that's more comfortable, isn't it?" Phoebe squeezed her sister's hand and crumbled, burying her face and her sobs in the duvet. "I can't, I can't do this. I can't be leader. I don't know how to help. I don't know what to do," She mumbled into sheets now soaked with her tears. She looked up at Piper. "I'd rather have you awake and feel your anger than see you like this." Phoebe sobbed again. "Please, Piper, tell me what to do."

"Sweetie."

Phoebe sat bolt upright upon hearing the sweet gentle voice and looked straight at Piper, but her condition remained unchanged.

"I've missed you."

Phoebe whirled around and her jaw dropped in shock as she recognised the figure standing in front of her. Her ghostly image was very faint and flickering like a bad TV picture, but clear enough for Phoebe to know who it was. She shed fresh tears and sobbed softly. "Prue? Is it really you? How?"

"It's really me. Sorry about the poor picture and sound quality but it's the best I can do. I'm not even supposed to be here." Prue smiled. Her voice was faint but loud enough for Phoebe to understand her.

"Oh, Prue. You have no idea how much I missed you. Can you stay?" Phoebe wanted to lunge at her sister, wrap her arms around her tightly and never let go, but she knew she would just fall flat on her face.

"I know. I can't stay long. It's only a matter of time before they find out." Prue said, looking up. "I just wanted to tell you that I've been watching you and I'm very proud of you sis. You've come so far. You don't need me. I know you're going through a hard time right now, but you can do this Phoebe. Believe me I know what it's like to be the responsible one, to have the weight of the world on your shoulders. You can handle it Phoebe. You're strong and you're powerful. You're a Charmed One. Believe in yourself."

"But I don't even have any active powers. How am I supposed protect my sisters? And what about Piper? Look at her! How am I supposed to help her out of this?" Phoebe objected, gesturing toward her catatonic sister.

Prue studied Piper for a moment and looked back at Phoebe. "You don't need active powers, honey, just inner strength. And you will bring Piper back." Suddenly Prue's image grew fainter and her voice grew more distant. "They know Phoebe, I have to go. I'm sorry. I love you."

"No, don't go!" Phoebe cried, watching as her beloved eldest sister faded away. "I love you too."


	21. Chapter 21

_**Author's Note: **I have two apologies to make here, firstly for the shortness of this chapter and secondly, for not responding to everyone's reviews. Please know that each and every review I receive is greatly appreciated, whether I respond or not. Going back to the length of this chapter, or lack thereof, I felt it was appropriate to end the chapter where I did. _

_WARNING: the 'Cliffhanger Queen' has struck again. _

**Chapter 21**

Paige lay on her side, facing away from Aidan who sat on the chair beside the bed, her eyes wide open. She could tell he was reading a newspaper by the rustling sound it made as he turned the pages. She had been awake for the last five minutes or so but remained quiet and unmoving so he would think she was still asleep. Paige needed a little to time to herself, to think, to clear her head. With her being vulnerable at the moment and in danger, this was as close as she was going to get to alone time. She thought about Phoebe and felt guilty for being such a burden to her, especially with things as they were with Piper, she worried about them both. She wanted to get up out of bed and orb herself right out of the hospital but her body was telling her she didn't have the strength. She wanted more than anything to find Greg and vanquish him out of her life forever but she felt so bad. There wasn't a part of her body that didn't ache and no matter how long she slept, she woke up tired. She never thought she could hate anyone as much as she hated the darklighter who was once her foster brother. Paige sneezed suddenly causing her body to twitch in response.

The newspaper rustled once more as Aidan looked up. "Hey, you're awake." He smiled.

"It would seem that way." Paige sighed and rolled over carefully onto her other side so that she was now facing the Inspector. The movement made her cough and her face turned red with the exertion. She sat up abruptly, resting her weight on one elbow while she used her other hand to cover her mouth.

Aidan's smile faded and was replaced by a look of concern. "You okay? Want me to get you some water?"

Paige nodded, sucking in air between coughs. She could feel her heart begin to pound within her as a feeling of momentary panic gripped her. She focussed on Aidan to distract herself and watched as he took the pitcher from the nightstand beside her bed and poured water into a plastic cup. He stood up and handed it to her. She took it gratefully and attempted to gulp down its contents, but Aidan had placed his strong hand over her own shaking one to help her steady the cup, which dripped liquid over the side.

"Easy," he soothed. "Drink slowly."

Their eyes locked briefly on each other as Paige sipped at her water. Her skin tingled beneath his fingers and she couldn't decide if it was the water or Aidan's firm but gentle touch that eventually calmed her cough. The look in his eyes confirmed her suspicion that he had felt the same sensation.

"Better?" he asked, deliberately holding on to the cup longer than was necessary.

"Much. Thank you." Paige replied, as Aidan slowly released his grasp on her hand, each acutely aware of the close proximity of the other. Aidan pulled back as Paige drank the rest of her water. An awkward silence ensued between the two as they each tried to process what had just occurred between them.

_No, no, no, Paige, you are NOT falling for this man. You don't WANT to, not now. Your life is already complicated enough. _Paige thought to herself.

Aidan cleared his throat suddenly, cutting through the silence. "I, I'll be right back." He rose from his chair, smiling weakly, and made his way to the small bathroom by the door.

Now that Paige was finally alone and restless to boot, she succumbed to her impulsive nature, summoning what little strength she had and orbed out. She was confused, and her fever was probably clouding her judgement but she didn't care. She had to get out.

Aidan returned from the bathroom to find an empty bed and froze. The heart monitor was flatling in the absence of a patient. The IV needle dripped fluid on the white sheets and the blood pressure cuff dangled off the side of the bed.

"Paige!"

* * *

Phoebe stood at the podium that held the Book of Shadows in the attic and slammed it shut with a loud sigh. She had been desperately trying to summon Prue back without success. Deep down she knew it wouldn't work, it never did in the past, but she had to try. She had turned her back on the book and was about to walk away from when pages began to turn furiously on their own, as if caught in a gust of wind. Phoebe froze, and by the time she had turned around to face the book, the pages had ceased their frenzied flipping, stopping on the _To Call a Lost Witch _spell. She studied the page and frowned in confusion. She couldn't understand why the tome had opened to this particular page, but it had never mislead the Charmed Ones before. Phoebe had been a witch long enough to know that there was a reason this spell had been brought to her attention and she sighed in resignation. Who was she to question the Book of Shadows?

After reading through the list of ingredients, Phoebe checked a nearby shelf and was pleased to see that everything she needed was right there. She took a small bowl and the herbs she required and set them on the table in the middle of the attic. She retrieved an athame from a chest near the shelf and sat cross legged at the table, which was cluttered with herb jars, chalices and other items. She pushed these items aside, except for the ingredients she required and lit a candle, placing it beside the bowl in front of her. She knew the spell well and left the Book of Shadows on the podium. Phoebe mixed her ingredients together, rosemary, cypress and yarrow root. She chanted quietly.

_Power of the witches rise _

_Course unseen across the skies _

_Come to us, we call you near _

_Come to us and settle here_

Phoebe took the athame and cut her left index finger with it. She allowed the blood to drip over the herbs in the bowl, blood that spilled symbolically from her heart.

_Blood to blood, I summon thee _

_Blood to blood, return to me_

Placing the athame on the table, and wrapping a tissue around her finger, she waited. And waited. The attic was quiet and growing dark, the flickering candle flame providing the only source of light. Nothing happened. Prue did not come.

Phoebe slouched in disappointment and looked up. "What was the point in that then? Waste my time with useless spells why don't you?" A wave of irritation washed through her as she rose from her sitting position. She stomped back to the Book of Shadows and thumbed impatiently through its pages until it once again took over control. She hastily withdrew her fingers from the tome and held her arms up as the pages flipped backward, stubbornly returning to the _To Call A Lost Witch_ spell once more. Phoebe growled in frustration. "I just cast that spell and nothing happened!" She placed her hand over her forehead in disbelief and stared at the book.

"What are you doing up here?" A quiet inquiring voice broke the silence.

Phoebe looked up and her eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the figured standing at the attic door. It wasn't who she had expected.


	22. Chapter 22

_Special thanks to **RJF** for giving me his useful advice on fight tactics. I am so totally lame when it comes to fight sequences and very grateful for his help. _

_I'm off to Canada (yes I am Canadian but live far away from home) on Wednesday and won't be back until the 28th of October, but I wanted to leave you with this chapter before I go. Please don't bother putting a hit on the Cliffhanger Queen because someone already has (you know who you are). I'll post again when I return (if I don't blow up from excessive pumkin pie consumption first, that is) and apologise in advance for making you wait so long for the next chapter. Until then, take care everyone and Happy Halloween!_

**Chapter 22**

"Piper?" Phoebe was stunned. She had wanted to summon Prue but had apparently summoned her other sister out of her catatonic state. She rushed to her sister's side and hugged her gently. Piper accepted her embrace and returned it cautiously.

Phoebe broke the embrace to look at her older sister. "Look at you, you're walking and talking!"

Piper furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Why shouldn't I be, and I don't remember changing into pyjamas. The oldest Halliwell raised her arms and looked down at herself.

The middle sibling looked equally perplexed. "You don't?" Phoebe rested one hand to her cheek and used the other to guide Piper to a nearby sofa and they both sat down. "What do you remember?"

Piper thought for a moment and her eyes narrowed. "I remember the argument you and I had this morning and I remember Wyatt orbing me to-" Piper cut herself off and Phoebe felt a brief wave of pain wash over her. "But after that I gotta admit, everthing is a blur."

"That's it?" Phoebe questioned, astonished.

"Yep." Piper pursed her lips together and gave her sister a flat smile. "So what happened then?" She asked impatiently.

Phoebe was reluctant to answer and spoke slowly, resting a hand on Piper's knee and explained what had happened. "You don't remember Dad clocking Sam when he brought you back to the Manor? Dad said you woke up and you told him to stop. It was the last thing you said, until now."

Piper shook her head. She was visibly shocked.

"You blocked everything out, honey. You were pretty upset. I'm just glad you're okay now." Phoebe could tell that Piper was suppressing her pain beneath her shock. She ran a soothing hand through her big sister's hair and tucked a stray hand behind her ear. "Dad called Ava. We were really worried about you."

Piper shook her head back and forth and looked around her, noticing the herbs on the table and blood seeping through the tissue wrapped around Phoebe's finger. She quickly changed the subject. "You never answered my question. What were you doing up here and why are you bleeding?"

"Well, uh, I-" Phoebe was interrupted as blue orbs materialized in front of them, taking a familiar form.

"Paige?" Both sisters exclaimed simultaneously.

The youngest Charmed One stood before her sisters, looking as surprised as they did. She looked terrible, her face was deathly pale and her hospital gown was damp with sweat. She felt cold and shivered, her vision went in and out of focus. "Uh oh, maybe this wasn't' such a good idea after all." Her sisters blurred and swayed in front of her, making Paige feel nauseous. Orbing to the manor had taken more strength than she had realised. Piper and Phoebe watched in horror as she collapsed.

Phoebe gasped and bolted from the sofa, dropping onto her knees beside her fallen sister, who was lying on her side. Phoebe rolled Paige onto her back and slapped her cheek gently. "Come on honey, wake up." There was no reaction. "Oh, what were you-"

"PHOEBE!" Piper screamed and jumped as the darklighter materialized several feet behind her younger sibling. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Piper. The oldest Charmed One flung her arms at him in an attempt to blow him up, but nothing happened. Phoebe stood up quickly and attempted to deliver a roundhouse kick. The darklighter acted quickly, anticipating her move and countering it. He caught her leg mid kick and as she lost her footing, he slammed the butt of his crossbow into the side of her head and she slumped to the floor beside Paige.

"NO!" Piper shrieked.

He grinned at her, amused by her expression of both anger and fear. "You were supposed to be catatonic, but never mind, I came prepared anyway. It pays to know an alchemist."

"Bastard!" Piper growled and threw herself at the darklighter. An arrow materialized in his hand and he plunged it deep into the witch's right shoulder as they both toppled to the ground.

Victor burst into the attic at that moment to hear his oldest daughter scream in agony and his eyes bulged in shock as he took in the scene before him. The darklighter dug the fingers of one hand into Piper's wounded shoulder and wrapped his other hand tightly around Paige's neck. Piper's cries of pain echoed through the room as he orbed out with them both.

Victor ran towards them and dove at the darklighter, but found himself attacking disappearing dark orbs. By the time he hit the floor, all that was left was empty space. He looked up and his eyes widened once more as he saw a pool of blood on the floor in front of him. It was then that he noticed Phoebe lying in a crumpled heap, and the blood was coming from a deep gash in the side of her head.

"Phoebe!" His eyes searched desperately around the room as he lifted himself off of the floor for something to cover her wound and stem the blood flow. He spotted a towel on one of the shelves and grabbed it. He knelt beside her and applied pressure with the towel while feeling urgently for a pulse at the same time. Victor held his breath. "Come on, come on," he mumbled to himself. He closed his eyes and sighed with relief, releasing a noisy breath, when he finally managed to find a very faint pulse. "Please stay with me sweetheart. I can't lose another daughter. Hang in there." He stroked her pale face and saw that her lips were turning blue.

Victor looked down at the towel, which was rapidly turning crimson, and with it, his hand. He knew the situation was very bad. There wasn't time to call for an ambulance or to drive her there himself. She would never make it. Wyatt could orb but he didn't want his grandson to see his Auntie this way. There was only one thing he could do and Victor fought an inner battle with himself, but in the end he knew that he would have to swallow his pride in order to save his daughter.

"Sam!"

* * *

Aidan raced toward the manor in his car. He had tried to contact Phoebe on his cell, but no one had answered. He was frantic with worry and wracked with guilt. He shouldn't have left Paige alone, even for a second. He knew Phoebe was going to be really pissed at him because he had promised he would watch her sister for her, but he had let them both down.

There were no signs that a struggle had taken place in the small hospital room. He was hoping that Paige had simply orbed herself home, but he feared that she may have orbed to the underworld. Paige was a powerful witch, but in her current physical state, she didn't stand a chance against the darklighter. He hadn't known Paige for very long, but he knew he that he loved her, despite her recalcitrant and impulsive nature and he would do everything he could to save her, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

The traffic lights were not on Aidan's side. He slammed his foot down on the breaks as the light in front of him suddenly changed to red and punched the steering wheel with his fist as the car came to a screeching halt. "DAMN IT!"

* * *

Ear piercing pain-filled screams penetrated Paige's consciousness and her eyelids twitched in response. The screaming ceased and was replaced with soft whimpering. She found it hard to breathe and resisted the urge to cough. She took a shallow breath as she finally managed to open her eyes, but her vision was blurred. She was able to make out enough to know that she was in a dimly lit cavern. She was sitting upright against a damp stone wall. The cold, jagged rock jabbed her in the back and sent a shiver up her spine.

As Paige's vision cleared, her eyes widened in fear at the sight before her. Her big sister lay bloodied and battered on her side, hands and feet chained together, as the darklighter crouched over her holding an arrow in his hand. Her body was pockmarked with wounds where he had tortured her with it. The left side of her face was covered with blood and her eye was swollen shut.

Paige's throat filled with bile and she felt sick to her stomach at the sight of her battered sister. Memories filled her mind of the dreaded time when she had been the victim of her former foster brother's sick attacks. She remembered how helpless, vulnerable and completely lost she had felt. She had even thought that maybe she had somehow been to blame for the horrible things he had done to her. Paige abruptly crushed those feelings. She wasn't that naïve young teenager anymore. She was a powerful witch now and she wasn't going to let Piper suffer any longer. However, she was also injured. She tried to orb, but to her surprise, she found that she couldn't. She was too weak.

Her former foster brother had his back to her and hadn't noticed yet that Paige was awake, watching him intently, a look of pure hatred in her eyes. Piper noticed, but remained quiet, focusing her good eye on her sister in an effort to distract herself from her pain. The oldest Charmed One cried out suddenly and writhed on the floor as the darklighter plunged his arrow into an already existing wound just above her left knee, twisting it to intensify her agony.

Paige yanked in protest at the chains that bound her wrists to the wall. "Stop it you sick bastard," she growled weakly.

The darklighter stiffened momentarily and then turned to face her and smiled. "Ah. Paige. I didn't think you'd be waking up for a while. Nice of you to join the party."

"You thought wrong," she growled again. "Why are you doing this?"

He turned his attention back to the oldest Charmed One. "The poison won't kill a witch, but the arrow is still a great instrument of torture." He twisted it deeper into Piper's wound. Tears escaped from her eyes as she released another blood-curdling scream.

"Stop it! Leave her alone. It's me you want." Paige cried out, her own eyes welling with tears as she tugged at the chains once more.

The smile left his face abruptly to be replaced with a look of contempt. He stood up and looked down on Paige. "You made me who I am."

* * *

Phoebe was quietly slipping away in her father's arms and he there was nothing he could do. Victor looked down at his blood stained hand that held the now fully crimson - coloured towel over her head. He closed his eyes and stubbornly blinked back tears. "SAM!" He cried out once more. "Damn it Sam! My daughter's dying. I need your help! Please?" He pleaded.

Blue orbs finally appeared, materializing into the desperately sought after whitelighter. The wounds he had received from his previous encounter with Victor were completely healed. He hesitated before approaching the injured witch.

Victor noted the whitelighter's reluctance to approach him and moved away from Phoebe. "Look, I'm not going to hit you, just, please, heal my daughter. Hurry."

Sam knelt beside the fallen Charmed One and held his hands over her head wound. For a moment nothing happened, and an anxious Victor held his breath. As Sam's hands began to glow, both men breathed a sigh of relief. It took a long time, but the wound gradually began to close and finally disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place, and all traces of blood had vanished.

Victor knelt beside his daughter and gently smoothed back a few damp strands of hair that were sticking to a still unconscious Phoebe's forehead. "Why isn't she waking up?" He looked over at Sam, who had stood up and backed away from him.

"Her injury was bad. She should wake up in a few minutes. What happened?" Sam questioned, stepping aside as Victor lifted Phoebe into his arms, carrying her to the sofa and gently setting her down on the soft cushions.

An arm dangled over the side of the couch and Victor, sitting on the edge beside Phoebe, took it and laid over her stomach, resting his hand protectively on top of hers. "Darkligher attacked." He looked away from his daughter and back at Sam. "He hurt Piper too. He took her and Paige. I tried to stop him. I wasn't fast enough. I'm sorry Sam."

This news hit Sam like a slap in the face and stunned him. "What? But Paige was in the hospital, how'd she get here? I don't understand."

Victor sighed. "I don't know. She must have orbed here or something. What do we do Sam?"

Sam closed his eyes and shook his head, still reeling from the information he had just been given. He had only just found his daughter and now it looked like he was about to lose her all over again.

"Dad?" The heavy silence that had filled the room welcomed the sound of Phoebe's soft voice, and it was music to Victor's ears.

Thanks also to **Swedish Mystery** for beta reading and providing me with her encouraging words.


	23. Chapter 23

_At long last, I bring you an update. Can I just say in my defense that I was picked up by a dessert chef while I was away on holiday, not to mention my life got more complicated when I got back from Canada and I find myself in the situation where I have to look for a new place to live. Anyway, I don't think I got around to responding to everyone's reviews this time because of everything that's going on, but please know that each of your reviews is appreciated very much. _

**Chapter 23**

Phoebe looked up at her father and blinked, wearing a disoriented expression on her face. Victor smiled at her reassuringly. "Hey. You okay?"

"I think so." Noticing Sam, she gave her father a questioning look. It surprised her that her father wasn't at the whitelighter's throat, and even more that the whitelighter was still in the same room with him.

Victor tensed and Sam fidgeted. "He healed you. You-"

The middle Charmed One's eyes urgently searched the room for her sisters and her heartbeat quickened as she registered their absence. She sat up quickly and immediately regretted it. She clutched her head with both hands. "Ow!"

"Easy,sweetheart. You were hurt pretty badly. You almost died." A lump formed in Victor's throat at the thought. He ran a soothing hand down his daughter's back.

"Where are Piper and Paige?" She asked anxiously.

Her father swallowed hard, still feeling the lump in his throat. The expression on his face was grim as he explained to his daughter what had happened to her sisters.

Phoebe stood up abruptly, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head and sat on the edge of the sofa next to her father, who had moved over to make room. "Oh no! What we do?" She was beginning to panic but her inner voice told her to keep calm. She stood up and began to pace the room while rubbing the back of her head with her hand.

Sam studied her from a distance and desperately willed her to find an answer, but realized he had it himself, or part of it at least. He moved toward her, gently touching her arm as she marched past him to get her attention and stop her from pacing. She turned to face him and he looked down as he spoke. "I need to go down there and see if I can sense them, but-" The whitelighter was cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

"I'll get that," Victor offered.

Phoebe sighed. "No, I'll get it. It's probably Aidan and I have a bone to pick with him." Her voice was laced with irritation.

An awkward silence ensued between Victor and Sam as they watched the young wiccan storm out of the attic and thump down the stairs. The whitelighter shifted his weight from one foot to the other and cleared his throat softly. "I should look for Piper and Paige. I'll come back when I've found them."

The whitelighter disappeared in a flurry of orbs before Victor could react, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

The doorbell rang again as Phoebe walked down the hallway to the front door. "All right, I'm coming!" She cringed at the sound of her own irritated loud voice and rubbed her head.

Aidan waited anxiously on the front porch and was greeted with an icy stare from Phoebe as she opened the front door. "Phoebe. Is Paige here?"

"No." She answered coldly, while stepping aside to allow him entry into the manor. "How could you let her go? You were supposed to be looking out for my sister!" She slammed the door shut behind the inspector and hissed in pain. "She orbed here, passed out, was kidnapped along with my other sister by the darklighter and he nearly succeeded in killing me. What were you thinking?" She questioned angrily.

"I'm so sorry Phoebe. I wasn't expecting her to orb out like that."

"You're SORRY? An apology is not going to bring my sisters back." Phoebe was fuming.

Sam reappeared in a dazzling display of blue light, standing between the inspector and the distraught wiccan. "You know Paige. She has a mind of her own and she's as stubborn as her father." The whitelighter turned to face Phoebe. "I found them."

Phoebe sighed and her expression softened. "You're right about that. Okay, can you orb Aidan and me down there, Sam?" Phoebe pointed at the floor with her index finger as she spoke. "You are coming aren't you?" She asked the inspector.

Aidan nodded his head in response.

* * *

Paige winced and retched as her former foster brother kicked her big sister in the abdomen. Piper grunted loudly as a rib cracked, piercing her lung. She gasped for breath as the injured organ filled with fluid. The raging darklighter looked at the injured witch with disgust and spat at her, just missing her face. Piper was in so much pain that she didn't even notice. "Bitch. You screwed everything up. Your sister would be dead by now if it weren't for you, interfering witch. Now I'll kill you both!"

Piper could only respond with shallow breaths as the enraged darklighter turned and pointed a finger at Paige. "You are the reason I'm what I am, living in the depths of hell itself. You took away the only people who ever came close to being real parents to me. You ruined my life."

He turned to face Piper once more and crouched beside her, making her cringe. He ran his hand down her cheek and dug his nails into her skin, drawing blood. He smiled as the helpless wiccan whimpered in response. His hand travelled to her chin and down her neck. Piper flinched as he touched her in places she didn't want to be touched and she shivered, not in arousal, but in fear. He turned his head to look at Paige once more, abruptly wiping the smile from his face. "Look at your sister. You did this to her. You let it happen. You'll probably find a way to kill me, and I'll be gone, but your guilt will never leave you."

Greg gave his former foster sister a crooked smile and watched her body respond to his words. Paige squirmed and struggled against her bonds. His smile disappeared once more and his nostrils flared angrily as he sneered. "All I feel now is hate because of you. And now your sister is paying the price."

"You brought it on yourself." Paige muttered between gritted teeth, her hate for this man rising along with the bile in her throat. She looked on in horror as the darklighter delivered a devastating blow to her sister's head, fracturing her skull. Piper welcomed the darkness.

"NO!" Paige's anger toward the evil creature before her boiled over. She yanked at her bonds and pumped full of adrenaline, she shrieked. "Chains!" They disappeared from her wrists and reappeared in her hands. She hurled them at the darklighter, knocking him off his feet. She called for the arrow that was still embedded in her unconscious sister's knee and orbed it in the direction of her former foster brother. She watched as it hit its target. Instead of screaming in pain, he laughed at the witchlighter and the sound of the explosion as he was obliterated, echoed off the cavern walls.

It was suddenly silent except for Paige's gasping breaths. She wiped away her tears as she crawled on all fours toward her battered sister, ignoring the still smoking scorch marks and the stench of burnt flesh left behind by the vanquish. "Piper! Piper…" she cried out between ragged breaths, calling for the chains that bound the injured wiccan's hands and feet. She tossed them aside quickly when they orbed into her hands and they made a clanking noise as they hit the floor. She rolled Piper onto her back and held her head in her lap as she felt for a pulse. Her sister was barely alive.

Paige cradled her big sister gently in her arms and brushed a few damp strands of hair from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. God, I'm sorry." Rocking back and forth, she fought back fresh tears and tried to quash her panic. "What do I do? I don't know what to do to help you. What do I do?" As Paige mumbled to herself, her eyes darted around the room, searching for a way out, but there was no exit. She was surrounded on all sides by jagged rock walls. She laid Piper carefully back down on the cold hard floor and tried to orb, but she didn't have the strength to orb herself, let alone her sister. She fell forward and feeling nauseous, she heaved. As she coughed and sputtered, a soft, familiar voice reached out to her.

"Don't be afraid. You know exactly what you need to do."

The young witchlighter's eyes darted around the room once more in search of the owner of the voice, but no one was there except herself and her still very much benumbed older sister.

_Sorry about the shortness of this chapter, but that was deliberate. The next chapter will be the last, but never fear, for I smell a sequel coming and I have a very special surprise in store for you. _


	24. Chapter 24

_No, you're not seeing things, I have actually posted a NEW chapter and the LAST one. No long faces now because the sequel is coming soon. I know it seemed like I've fallen off the face of the Earth, but my muse took off and I had a massive case of writer's block. However, my muse has been found and thanks to a special friend (thank you **Welsh Girl**) who gave me the incentive and encouragement to get cracking, I have finally completed it. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to respond to all of your reviews, but they are, as always, much appreciated. Thanks also to **Swedish Mystery** for her beta reading. Thanks to her suggestions I re-wrote a whole section of this chapter and made it even better. Hope you enjoy it everyone._

**Chapter 24**

"I thought you said you found them." Phoebe whispered impatiently.

"I did." Sam answered defensively.

"Well then why have we been walking around in circles for the last fifteen minutes?" Phoebe continued, as she felt her way along the dimly lit corridor with her hands.

"They're close. I just can't get an exact location. Someone or something is scrambling the signal." The whiterlighter explained, his voice laced with frustration.

Phoebe remained silent as they crept quietly through the underworld. She could hear the tormented cries and moans of the doomed somewhere in the distance, and she prayed that her sisters weren't among them. The stench of suffering filled her nostrils and made her feel sick. She squinted to see if she could spot Aidan, who lurked just ahead of them, looking out for trouble. With his power to change shape or form, he was virtually undetectable.

Sam stopped abruptly and Phoebe bumped into him. "Did you find them?" She questioned anxiously.

"No. Get down!" The whitelighter ordered as he pushed the witch to the ground just as an energy ball sailed past her head. They watched as Aidan materialized just ahead of them and appeared to jump right out of the wall, surprising their attacker from behind just as she was about to throw another energy ball. He grabbed the demon's arm and drove her own weapon into her chest. She screamed with rage and exploded, knocking Aidan onto his backside.

* * *

Paige cried out in desperation as she tried in vain to heal her sister. Her hands shook as she tried to channel all of her power into them, but nothing happened. She was out of breath and her heart pounded with panic. The young witchlighter moaned as she wiped away the tears on her face.

"You have the power to heal. Feel it flowing within you."

Paige froze and slowly looked up to see a familiar form standing before her. She watched as the transparent figure became corporeal and knelt beside her, nearly tripping as she did so. "Damn robes." The young woman muttered.

The witchlighter was awestruck, a look of recognition plastered across her face. "Prue! You're an-"

"-Elder, yeah. Piper is going to be so pissed when she wakes up. Here." Prue took Paige's hands in her own and held them over their injured sister's limp body. "You love Piper, right?" Prue questioned softly. Paige nodded in response. "Feel that love, let it flow through you and channel it into your healing power."

"But if you're an elder can't you heal her?" Paige asked.

"Piper is badly injured. My power alone won't be enough. I need you to help me."

The youngest Charmed One looked uncertain, but Prue gave her a reassuring look. Paige closed her eyes and concentrated. Her fingers trembled and she released a ragged breath. "I can't."

"Yes you can, honey. You have to if you don't want to lose her. Just love her."

Paige closed her eyes and tried again. She thought about how much Piper meant to her and how she couldn't imagine life without her, couldn't see Wyatt and Chris growing up without their mother, couldn't see Phoebe getting married without both sisters by her side. Piper had helped Paige to become the powerful witch that she was. She loved Piper with all her heart and her hands finally began to glow along with Prue's.

Prue watched Paige with great concern, noting her younger sister's unsteady hands and sweat soaked skin. She knew Paige's strength was waning but Piper's survival depended on them both. She spoke gentle words of encouragement in an attempt to keep Paige's concentration. "That's it sweetie. You're healing her. She is going to be okay if you keep doing what you're doing."

Paige coughed and slouched forward towards Prue. The light from her hands began to fade as her strength faltered. There was a tone of urgency to Prue's voice as she spoke. "Don't stop! Just a little bit longer Paige, just hold on. You can do this."

With every ounce of energy she had left, Paige brought her power back to full strength. She was going to heal Piper, even if that meant sacrificing her own life in the process. She coughed again and her hands shook like jelly but she continued to hold them stubbornly over her sister.

Prue's eyes widened with worry. "Paige, you can stop now. I can take over from here. Piper's going to be fine now, thanks to you sweetie.' She nodded and smiled at the baby sister she had never known. Paige smiled in return and let go. Drained of all her energy, she collapsed onto her side next to Piper. Prue didn't move. She had to continue working on Piper before she could help Paige, otherwise she risked losing them both. She worked on the head injury that was so severe it would have most certainly left Piper brain dead. Then she moved on to her battered face. The dried blood, swelling and bruising gradually disappeared. Small fragments of caved in cheek bone fused back together and the injured wiccan's face took on a normal shape. Paige had healed Piper's punctured lung but Prue healed the injuries to her shoulder and abdomen. She then worked her way down to the wound in her knee. With Piper's injuries now healed, her torn and tattered pyjamas were whole once more, all traces of blood had vanished.

With one sister now out of danger but yet to regain consciousness, Prue turned her attention to the other. The youngest Charmed One's breathing was shallow and she was burning up. She felt bad knowing that she would only be able to partially heal her youngest sister as Paige would have to go back to the hospital to avoid raising any kind of suspicion that could expose their magic. Using memory dust on the medical staff was too risky because Sam had used it on them once already. Prue could heal the infection that was the cause of her sister's raging fever, but not her wound. She whispered a spell under her breath as she healed her baby sister to keep her asleep a little longer, knowing that a conscious Paige would strongly object to going back to hospital. Just as Prue had completed her task and the healing glow emanating from her hands had faded, she noticed scintillating blue orbs filling the air in front of her and held her breath in anticipation.

"Oh, thank-" Phoebe froze when she registered Prue's presence and her eyes widened in surprised at the sight of her robes, rendering her speechless.

Sam, on the other hand, was not surprised to see the young Elder. "Are they okay?" He questioned, looking down at the sleeping figures on the floor. Prue nodded absently, her focus on Phoebe.

Aidan looked warily around the cavern and glanced at Phoebe, puzzled by her reaction to the young woman he recognised as an Elder. "Where's the darklighter?" He questioned.

"He's gone. Paige vanquished him." Prue responded quietly. She knew of Aidan and that he was a witch. "Sam, please orb Paige back to the hospital and take Aidan with you. I'll take Piper and Phoebe to the manor."

Sam silently complied, lifting his daughter into his arms. Aidan placed his hand on the whitelighter's shoulder and they orbed out.

Now that Prue was alone with her sisters, she turned her attention back to Phoebe, who had made eye contact with her but remained taciturn. "Sweetie, can you help me with Piper please?"

The young Elder broke the awkward silence that had ensued between them with a sigh. She approached Phoebe cautiously and placed a comforting hand on her upper arm. The younger Halliwell threw out her arms unexpectedly and wrapped them tightly around her big sister, burying her face in her shoulder. This caught Prue by surprise and her eyes bulged out of their sockets. She returned the hug and wave of relief washed over her as she held her little sister in her arms. She had longed for the moment when she would be reunited with her sisters and now it was here. However, she had hoped it would be under better circumstances.

"Piper's going to kill you." Phoebe's voice was muffled by the fabric of her sister's robes.

Prue sighed again as she reluctantly broke the hug. "I know." Both sisters wiped away unshed tears from their eyes and Prue registered the questioning look in Phoebe's eyes. "We should get Piper back to her bed before she wakes up. We can talk at the manor." She turned around and bent over her somnolent sister who was lying flat on her back. Piper's head lolled to one side as the young Elder raised her into a sitting position. She took one limp arm and wrapped it round her neck while motioning to Phoebe to take the other. Together they lifted Piper until she was standing upright with their support. Prue took hold of Phoebe's free hand with own and their bodies transformed into bright blue and white light that slowly faded and finally disappeared altogether, leaving the stony cavern empty and silent.

* * *

Back at the manor it was late and glowing blue orbs illuminated the darkness in Piper's bedroom. They had rematerialized near the door and the unconscious witch's feet dragged along the floorboards as her sisters stumbled with her towards her bed. Prue reached out with her free hand to switch on the small bedside lamp, then threw back the bed sheets and lay Piper on her side while Phoebe lifted her legs onto the mattress and covered her with the quilt. The sleeping Halliwell looked deceptively serene. She would be far from it once she awoke.

Another awkward silence ensued between the two sisters and this time Phoebe broke the silence as she questioned her sister point blank. "How did you become an Elder? The last time we saw each other you barely had the power to make yourself visible. I don't understand."

Prue looked down and gestured at her robes. "This is just a recent development. _They _caught me when I came to you but instead of punishing me _they _made me an Elder and told me it was destiny, I was meant to become one. Or maybe that _was _my punishment." The young Elder rolled her eyes. "I mean, look at me. I'm a fashion blunder." she added in an attempt to ease the tension.

It worked as Phoebe cracked a small smile. "Hey, that's my line."

Prue looked at Phoebe expectantly. "That's it? You're not gonna shout at me?"

"Nah. I'll leave that to Piper." Phoebe quipped.

Prue shook her head in disbelief. "You'd think after all the years of me yelling and nagging at you, you'd jump at this very rare opportunity to have a go at _me_."

Phoebe smiled at her sister's remark but it faded as she turned her attention to her sleeping sister and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Why hasn't woken up yet?" Phoebe questioned, her voice thick with concern. "I mean, usually we wake up once we're healed.'

The young Elder gave her sister sympathetic look and shrugged. "My guess is she doesn't _want_ to wake up right now."

"She doesn't _want_ to wake up?" Phoebe repeated.

"Darklighter tortured her right in front of Paige. He used a spell so I couldn't get to them." Prue sighed heavily and Phoebe felt her guilt. "She's been through a terrible ordeal. She's probably better off asleep for the moment."

Phoebe swallowed hard. "Did he-

"No." Prue firmly shook her head.

The empath blinked and sighed inwardly with relief. "She _is_ going to wake up, though, right?"

"She will. When she's ready." Prue answered as she sat down beside her little sister and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. They sat that way until a tiny child's cough suddenly distracted Prue, and her eyes scanned the room for the source of the sound. Her eyes stopped as it registered with her that Piper's walk – in closet had been converted into a nursery and the door stood ajar. She had failed to notice it before. She was certain it was Leo's handiwork. "Is that-"

"Your nephews, sweetie." Phoebe finished for her. "Why don't you go take a look." Prue hesitated, letting the word _nephews_ sink in. "Go on," her sister coaxed.

The young Elder stood up slowly walked towards the nursery, stopping at the door. She watched her nephews as they slept. She covered her mouth with both hands as her heart swelled with pride and her eyes filled with tears of joy. They were beautiful little boys. Even in the dark she could see that Wyatt took after his daddy with his dark blonde locks and Chris took after his mother with his wisps of chestnut coloured hair. They looked so adorable as they slept and she resisted the urge to pick them up and cuddle them. That would have to wait for now. Prue suddenly looked up at the ceiling. 'Uh oh."

Phoebe stood up abruptly and looked at her sister with widening eyes. "Oh no, no, no! _They're_ not calling you are they?"

"_They_ don't know I'm here, or at least they didn't until now." Prue grimaced at the ceiling. "I don't have much say in the matter sweetie." She began to transform from her corporeal state into swirling blue orbs and her voice echoed through the room as she disappeared. "Take care of your sisters. I love you."

"No! Wait! Prue please come back!" Phoebe panicked momentarily and then her heart sank with disappointment. "I love you too."

Phoebe sighed and reached out with her arm to tuck a stray hair behind Piper's ear. "I hope you wake up soon. I need you sweetie." The young empath felt a sudden breeze on her cheek and jumped up and turned to face the demon that had just appeared in the bedroom. She took a defensive stance in front of her sleeping sister.

"Sooner than you think, _witch_."

* * *

Dr. Phillips was relieved that Paige had been found and returned to the hospital. Her temperature had dropped and she didn't seem any worse for wear, but the doctor watched with a look of concern as her young patient slowly regained consciousness in the emergency room.

Paige moaned softly and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. Her eyes opened wide once she realised where she was and she sat upright, ready to bolt. "Oh no! What am I doing here? I can't stay, I can't stay here. Where's Piper?" Memories came flooding back to her like water through a burst damn. "Oh god, I have to get out of here!"

Both Dr. Phillips and Sam who had been standing nearby leaped at Paige as she threw her legs over the edge of the gurney and ripped the intravenous needle from her hand. Both doctor and father placed strong arms on her shoulders to restrain her. "Easy, easy." Dr. Phillips spoke. "It's okay."

"No it's not okay, it's all my fault! It's all my fault!" Paige burst into tears. Aidan and a nurse ran to her side as she continued to struggle.

"You didn't do anything wrong honey." Dr Phillips attempted to reassure her but Paige continued to resist. "Look, I'm going to get you something to help you relax, okay?"

"No!" Paige protested. All she cared about was getting back to Piper. Her sister had been hurt and it was her fault. She had to make things right again. That was all that mattered. Both she and everyone in the room were oblivious to the unknown substance that pulsed through the distraught witchlighter's veins, impairing her ability to think rationally. It would eventually rob her of her sanity if it remained undetected.

"Piper's fine, Paige. You don't have to worry about her." Sam added, but Paige flailed against the hands that restrained her. A male nurse and an intern jumped in to assist, pushing Sam and Aidan aside.

"Hold her down and get an intravenous line back into her." Dr Phillips instructed. "I'll be right back!" She ran out of the room and returned almost immediately with another nurse by her side.

Sam stood in front of the doctor obstructing her. "What's that?" He gestured at the syringe she was holding in her hand.

Dr. Philips looked up at Sam in surprise. "Methohexital. It's a very strong sedative."

Sam shook his head in protest. "No, no. She's an alcoholic. That can't be good for her."

"Mr Wilder, I'm well aware of that fact. I have no idea why she's reacting like this, but if I don't give her this injection, she's going to end up hurting herself. Do I have to remind you that she's still recovering from a serious lung injury?"

Sam stood his ground. "No. Look, she's scared, that's why she ran. She was attacked, or have you forgotten that? More than once, and right here in this hospital too. Can you blame her? She said no. Please, don't." He pleaded with the doctor.

Dr. Philips' patience was growing thin. "Look, I have no choice. Just look at your daughter." She gestured toward the gurney and the whitelighter turned to look.

"Let go of me!" Paige shouted as the medical staff held her down. She whimpered as the intravenous needle was inserted into her wrist. She managed to wrench her other hand free temporarily from the male nurse's grasp, causing him to stumble backward and knock over a table, which hit the floor with a crash.

Sam reluctantly stepped aside and let the doctor pass. She rushed up to the gurney and quickly injected the sedative into Paige's drip. It burned a little as it went into her vein and she whimpered again. She continued to squirm against the hands that restrained her, but her movements slowed down as her muscles relaxed and the drug began to take effect. She moaned softly and mumbled the word "No," shedding a solitary tear that dripped onto her pillow. After a minute or so, she went limp and her eyelids drooped shut. The medical personnel released their grip on her and sighed with relief.

* * *

"What do you want?" Prue had rematerialized in front of a group of fellow Elders and her irritation was apparent in her voice.

The Elders remained silent and simply stared at her.

"Well?" Prue asked impatiently. "Am I in trouble again because I went to help my sisters?"

An Elder with balding white hair and blue eyes shook his head and stepped forward. "You should not be putting yourself at risk by orbing onto the mortal plane. You could be recognised. It is reckless of you and unbecoming of an Elder."

"Did you think I would just stand idly by and watch my sisters die?" Prue challenged.

A female Elder stepped forward, glancing at the older man. "No." She answered. "Forgive Daniel. He's overly cautious, but he has a point. It IS very risky appearing on the mortal plain in the place where you lived before your death, but necessary."

"Oh?" Prue raised her eyebrows in surprise, not expecting a fellow Elder to speak up in her defence and waited for the Elder to continue.

"With both of her sisters down right now, Phoebe is on her own and the Charmed Ones are vulnerable. That's why we have allowed you to be with them. They are going to need your help." The Elder paused for a moment. "Paige has been poisoned by the darklighter."

Prue blinked in surprise. "What? How come I didn't know about this before?"

The male Elder named Daniel took over. "Because we have only just found out ourselves from one of our informants. Apparently, the darklighter received assistance from a powerful alchemist named Gorlon, who prepared a potion which the darklighter administered to Paige while she was unconscious. You-"

"Well, do you have an antidote?" Prue interjected.

"I'm afraid not." The female Elder continued. "There is no antidote that we know of."

"What does this poison do exactly?" Prue spoke reluctantly, fearing the answer.

The female Elder spoke again. "It will poison her mind, make her insane and inevitably destroy her. Phoebe will need your help to find Gorlon and discover if there is a cure. It's the only way to save the Power of Three."


End file.
